A New Wonderland
by Magiically
Summary: When Alana, a normal high school student unknowingly saves the White Rabbit and steps through the looking glass, what happens? Let's just say, Alice, the Queen of Hearts, is not happy about it. HatterxOC UNDER REVISION AS OF 2/24/12
1. Stepping through the Looking Glass

**Hello everyone!**

**Welcome to _A New Wonderland_. I'm very excited to announce that on 2/24/12, this story is under revision. It's simply for writing. I hated ALL the errors(although there will be new ones that I will miss). In addition, I wanted to make the story more developed. **

**I hope you enjoy this story!**

**Chapter 1 Revised on: 2/24/12**

* * *

Alana knew her life was boring. Rather, it was an average day of going to school, sitting through 7 hours of teachings only to come home exhausted. The saddest part is, is that her exhaustion was her favorite part. Why?

Because it made her want to sleep.

Sleeping was her only escape from the bland world in which she was raised, a world where the common routine was rather annoying. Such tedious homework that made the daily 3 hours of dreaming the most pleasurable time of the day. Sleeping was the only true area where she could bend things to her will, fight for what she knew was right, and overall, find the person whom she loves.

"Alana! Wiggle your arms if you can hear me," the familiar voice of her Dad boomed throughout my room at 6am. This was his wake up technique. Making her move a limb. Although it was an effort, as soon as his presence was gone, Alana fell right back into a deep rest. It was a few minutes of peaceful slumber before suddenly:

"ALANA. IT IS 6:45! Are you aware that you have to leave in 15 minutes? Get yourself up. Now." This time, it was her mother, calling from the kitchen as she hustled about to make the lunches that Alana and her sister would take into school that day.

Ordinary family? Pretty much.

By the time the 15 year old teenager was up and about, she was fully clothed in a light yellow dress. This just happened to be her favorite outfit of all time, being perfect for the weather. However, Alana's attitude always gave whatever she was wearing a boyish side.

The dress consisted of a simple yellow, knee-high dress that stuck close to the body. The dress was made from cotton broderie anglaise and featured a pleaded collar and sleeve trim. The dress was banded at the waist and had skirt pleats. She paired this dress with dark blue tights and shinny black shoes. She loved the way it spread out by her by the waist and made her feel rather feminine.

After staring in the mirror for a good minute, Alana examined her features. From her straight brown hair that matched her chocolate eyes, that in the right light, would almost glitter to see every line and crevasse that created it. Her pale skin seemed to mesh well with her light colored down as she bent down to grab her school bag and ran as fast as she could out of the house and into the car, waiting for her arrival to bring her to school.

* * *

The school day dragged on for what seemed like hours. Alana, practically asleep in her first periods, was having one hell of a time staying awake. She was up all last night in the midst of slumber, enjoying fantasy rides from dragons, even meeting up with her knight shinning armor. Of course, this was too good to be true. Reality always had a clear definition of what is right and what is wrong. There was never a blurred line. This was the harsh truth of reality that Alana very much despised.

The knight that plagued Alana's dreams had a close resemblance to that of a man named Scott. This dashing man would appear whenever Alana was close to death or desperately needed some romance. Mainly it was a mix of both. He was one of the most beautiful men she has ever laid eyes on. Whenever he appeared in her dreams, she'd awake with such a large smile and a fast-paced heart. He did everything to her in her dreams as he did in real life.

Scott was two years older than her sophomore self, yet, stole her heart in every way. Yes, she was a fool in a situation where she shouldn't be. Honestly, she didn't care. He made her feel alive even when she didn't. He was the reason why she was excited to dress up in the morning and to put on that extra dab of make up.

By the end of the day, Alana was walking along a long hallway. It was the glass hallway, where class rooms bordered her left side and the forest was visible to her right.

Of course, Alana's heart began to speed when a figure entered the same hallway from a nearby classroom.

"Scott!"

The dark haired man whirled around at the top of the hallway. He flashed a pearly white smile at the sight of Alana, raising a hand to wave at her. Alana quickly approached as she attempted to keep herself composed. Her heart thumped.

"Hey there, Alana." He whispered in a calm tone. The brunette glanced upwards to create eye contact with the green eyed wonder, grinning. She wanted to embrace him, just like in last night's dream. That contact, that _intimacy._

"Hey, Scott," she replied instead.

Reality always did suck.

"So, are you coming to my wrestling match today? It's here, tonight. I'd love for you to come watch." Something devilish then flickered to his expression,"Rather, I'll make you."

"Excuse me!" Alana instantly fired back to protect her sanity,"you're ego is flying through the charts, Scott. You need to calm down." Regardless, her body disobeyed. Her knees felt weak and her breath became soft.

Scott let out a hard chuckle as he placed his massive hand on Alana's head, patting it,"Nope. You're just short."

"What! Where does that come into ANY of this!"

The wrestler gave off a shrug,"You say I have ego, I say you are short."

Truth was, Alana was short. 5'1. Soon to be the shortest in her family of 5. Everyone would soon surpass her within the next few years of school. The small brunette huffed, crossing her arms and pouting as Scott removed his giant hand from her head.

"Anyways, Scott, I need to get home. I have to walk today. My mom is at another job interview, so I have no ride. Perhaps I'll catch some other match." Alana said aloud, trying to contain herself from saying how she'd love to be his personal cheerleader. Desperation was not an attractive trait.

"Alright, cool. I'll see you later then." Scott replied before waving himself off into the hallway, disappearing.

* * *

Alana continued outside of the school. Her heart was flying at this point. It was easily a 2 minute interaction that went rather well. Scott still had no idea of her affections, and he never would. Either way, Alana still liked to believe he felt something. But, everything came to an end.

Quickly, the girl reached into her pocket and whipped out her cell phone. But, Alana froze. Her head tilted to the side as she stared at the small screen. There were no bars. No service. There was always phone service. "How odd." Alana took a moment to raise the device in the air, but found her attempts in vain.

The girl's eyes narrowed as she shook the phone. This was very strange, in fact. She couldn't even call her sister to join her in walking home. She'd have to go alone. Alana pouted, shaking her head in confusion.

The time was autumn, the breeze was always soft and cool, rather inviting as the world lights up in magnificent colors of the fallen leaves. Everywhere she walked was filled with an array of beautiful colors that gently fell from the sky. The clouds were always next to the baby blue heavens, the rich hue somehow remaining a spectacular sight all day.

Anyways, it was no use waiting around. Alana sighed a bit, shrugging off the fact that there was a strange sense of electricity buzzing through the air. Something just felt off, as if the universe shifted. It was possibly an overreaction of not having a cell phone, but for some reason, Alana thought something was off.

"Alright then, let's go feet," Alana huffed, slinging her bag over her shoulder. It was a nice enough day. The teenager continued down the road off from her school and to her home. The scenery was just as lovely as she imagined.

The sky was a soft blue with rolling white puffs that were shapes. The ground was covered in amber, gold, and chocolate colored leaves. It was a euphoric day to take a stroll. Perhaps, it wasn't going to be so bad.

As Alana was walking, she cared to take note of the trees rustling. The breeze hit her hair, whipping about the dark colored locks about her face. The the cool smelling flowers infiltrated her senses, and of course, the screaming.

The screaming.

There was screaming! Out of no where was a blood curdling yell. It was so loud that it echoed through the forest nearby. It was like murder was happening. Alana's eyes widened as she glanced around furiously. Her body froze. What was screaming? It sounded close to... a distorted yell for help.

What if it was a murder. What if Alana was running right into a killing and faced death itself? She glanced down to her junk of a phone, but that was out of service. "Shit."

Her face contorted. What do you do in this situation. Alana's mouth parted. The person sounded in so much agony. There was the chance that it wasn't murder... But it probably was. Alana glanced around herself, quickly finding a rock and threw her bag and cellphone on the ground. She'd arm herself and knock out the bad guy quickly. This was the right thing to do, right? She had to do _something_.

Alana shut her eyes for a moment, concentrating, before she took off running in the direction of the sound. At least she'd make some use of a distraction for the victim to get away.

As Alana ran, she grew more afraid. The noise grew louder. She was getting nearer. Alana wasn't sure how this was going to go down, but something huge was about to happen. Finally, Alana saw it.

There was a kid who had long white hair. This hair reached the ground and was tied up into two separate pony tails. The kid was old. His face was much older than his 10 year old body appeared. In this clearing, she saw the source of his pain.

His leg was caught under a large tree, crushing his bones that resulted in his shouts. His face was filled of tears, attempting to pull out what he had left of his leg. Freedom. All he wanted was freedom from this tree. He was desperate for his emancipation. But, he was such an odd creature. Alana froze at the sight, wondering where he was from and how it was possible! His face was wrinkled and aged, lines of wisdom on every feature and crest. His pale blue eyes were covered in a veil of tears.

Alana was rather scared of such a distorted creature. But, a person is a person.

The girl took a moment to get her barrings. Throwing down her rock, Alana ran forward and bent down next to the boy. She smiled at him warmly, despite the look of worry on her face, before getting down on her hands and knees.

Without words and using all of her strength, she began to push the log off his leg. Alana grunted, barring her teeth as she used all of her power. Her feet dug into the mud and her body did not want to cooperate with what she wanted to do. She wasn't this strong! But, the adrenaline kicked in as Alana gave another push. The boy screamed throughout the entire process.

When the wood rolled of his limb, the boy simply stared up at Alana. His breathing was heavy, as was Alana's. He searched her eyes, before suddenly, he climbed to his feet. He let out a whimper, but still remained standing.

"Wait, no, sit down. Let me call someone." Alana pleaded softly, worried that he would hurt himself more-so doing whatever he was attempting to do now. The white haired fellow shook his head whispering,"No no." He gave her one last look before he started dashing off into the distance, running as fast as he could in his injured state.

"Wait!" Alana cried,"What are you doing! You are going to get hurt!"

The brunette pushed herself off the ground, starting to take after him, yet, as she began to move, she heard something tinkle in the various colored leaves beneath her. Alana stopped her moment to see something catch her eye. The wind was rustling a chain, a golden watch laying in the ground beneath her.

Was this the boy's watch?

Alana rolled her eyes and inhaled deeply, for this man boy creature was starting to piss her off. Why was he running away! She was trying to help him! And now, she had something to return.

"Ungrateful little... ugh!" She whined, grabbing the watch on the ground, and taking off after him once more. It took her a second to run fast enough for him to come into view. Alana was already getting so tired as she pushed her body harder. Even hurt, he was fast.

Alana wanted to help him! Those eyes. Those endearing eyes. That moment when he just watched her. He was special. Alana knew something was there and she wasn't going to let it go by.

Suddenly, he then turned a sharp corner, into the series bushes next to him. Alana's jaw dropped,"You have got to be kidding me!"

She growling, shaking her head in disbelief as she pumped her arms. She made the corner too, and without thought ran too into the bushes. She ran through the large plant, wincing as sharp parts of leaves scratches her skin. Alana could see white hair being pulled backwards up ahead. He was struggling too. But why was he running away from her through this mess? It was as if this bush would never end.

Alana kept on her pace, when suddenly, the white hair vanished before her. And before she knew it, she vanished too.

* * *

**Please read and review!**


	2. The Ground Level

**Hi again! This is Chapter 2. Thank you so much for all your support!**

**Chapter 2 revised on: 2/24/12**

* * *

Falling.

Falling so fast.

The world, it's crumbling.

Why is everything colorful, yet eerie. Why is it I can see, but I'm blinded? I can only think of falling, and how I can never stop. I'm scared. My heart is fluttering about my chest, yet I feel as if my chest is no longer attached to my body.

The world around me seemed as if it were falling too. I was in a spectrum of beautiful, endless hues that sparkled. It was warm, yet cold. It was scary, yet excited. This was a paradox of emotions and I don't know how to feel. But I know I am falling. I'm tumbling farther and farther away from what I know.

I lost sight of the rabbit for what seemed like hours ago. Maybe if I fell asleep, I would wake up back by my bag. Maybe this was all a dream. Maybe, I'm still in class. It had to be.

I know this feeling; it wasn't a dream. The array of colors around me as didn't cease, but were never ending. I can't see the top, and I can't see the bottom. Where am I? What's going on? It's strange, a weird feeling inside. It's as if I'm flying; I like flying. I want to believe I am flying, but I am falling.

I like a lot of things, but I like this place. It makes me tired. It makes me want to dream. I like the wind blowing in my hair. I like shutting my eyes and free falling.

I like not even hearing myself scream.

* * *

**Thump**_._

Alana's body hit the ground hard, landing in a pool of soft green grass. She couldn't see, everything was blurry. The world was no longer in focus as Alana felt something beneath her touch. Nothing made sense as her head struggled to compile itself. Logically, of course, her mind was jumbled. Even her mind was no making sense in composing rational thoughts.

She remembered falling, falling so much and now, she's on actual ground? Her body had displaced itself from flying, or falling, and found its way to something tangilble. Better yet, it was grass. Bright green grass. Was she home?

No. That was her first answer. Home would have leaves on the floor. There was not a single leaf in sight. Alana groaned to life, her eyes slowly adjusting to seeing. The first thing she saw, of course, was grass. But then, the rest of the world came into focus.

"This is a joke."

Alana winced a bit as her body slugged upwards, her shoulders slumping as she saw the world around her. All around her were endless, rolling fields. However, all grass on these fields were dead. The plants had dried up and cracked, leaving dust and whatever remnants of life in its past. On the ground around her, where she fell, the grass was a bright green. Then, the ground faded off into the dead of the land.

The air was filled with a musty smell of wet plants, almost giving off a humid and uncomfortable feeling.

Around her, though, was a spectacular view. Besides her were large, rather, 10 feet tall flowers. But, they were 10 feet tall in their sagging nature. They were gray in color, giving off a sense of despair and gloom. The air that hung around these plants were ones that brought sadness to Alana. They were dead. Perhaps if they were alive, they'd display a beautiful set of colors and would stand 25 feet tall. Still, their disproportional size was jaw dropping, making them a monument for the visual.

Alana's eyes wandered around this area, wondering, curious, but mostly scared.

She certainly wasn't home. The plants, the area she was in, was sure of that. Around her was the dead fields and two large buildings that ran parallel. It appeared she was in between them. Even the buildings had an unsightly appearance.

Alana felt her heart thump deep within her chest. She had no idea where she was. It was terrifying. This had to be a really bad trip. Maybe something she had was drugged. School lunch ladies could be malicious, right? It was completely logical. But nothing here... was logical. Plants were big, she was small. Alana could feel her face frown. How would she get home?

Another method, perhaps? Alana took a moment to shut her eyes, breathing in deeply before she attempted to wake herself up. Her hands grabbed the lively grass by her knees, her frustrations clear. Her eyelids began to squeeze, and yet, she did not feel any shift if the land around her.

"You know, staying around here isn't the safest thing."

A voice.

The girl's eyes flashed opened as she whirled around. No one was there. "I'm right here."

She jolted upwards to her feet, her eyes wide and her breath shallow. All she saw were more flowers, leaves. Nothing that would speak. "Who are you?" Alana said aloud, constantly turning her head. Maybe she missed something? Everything here was dead. There was no life. Alana then noticed something off. Out of all the tall flowers, there was one that was shorter. It hung over not much taller than Alana. Carefully, the girl approached it. Her brown eyes studied the face of the flower, seeing nothing special besides its resemblance to a sunflower.

Yet, it was then she saw it. Up on the flower, there was a line within the crease of the petal. A mouth. Alana hesitantly asked, "Did you talk to me?"

No response.

"Gosh, flowers talking? I must be loosing it. What a wild dream" Alana whispered to herself, raking her fingers through her hair. She shut her eyes tightly, just like before.

"Actually, you aren't crazy. You were right."

Alana's eyes widened, her own hand flew up to cover her mouth and grasped it tightly. The flower spoke. That little line then began to open and close weakly. The voice, was beautiful, but seemed as if it were running out of energy. It was low as it spoke.

"Don't be alarmed. You'll get used to me and all the other creatures of Wonderland." This wasn't real. The flower, this droopy gray flower was having a conversation with her.

The plant was almost falling apart, meshing with the ground as it tilted up with petals towards her. Alana tilted her head at the sound of the name. "Wonderland. As in the kids book?"

Is that where she was? Wonderland? That was impossible.

"Only once upon a time, dear." The flower responded, as if smiling,"Discerning Daisy is the name. But, as a warning, you might want to leave soon. If anyone saw you, you'd be dead. If the Queen knew another girl came through the looking glass without being escorted by her... god. You poor thing."

Alana stared at the plant in amazement. It was speaking. And, it was speaking in the same voice that _he_ had spoke in. She shook her head, a small smile appearing on her lips. A dream. It had to be.

Alana scratched the bridge of her nose, her voice timid as she responded,"I was chasing someone who was hurt. I wanted to help him, but he someone disappeared when I came here." She paused for a moment, her eyes gazing at the plant.

"I can't believe this is Wonderland."

The plant shifted slightly for the first time,"Don't believe? Why do you say that?"

Alana grinned, her memories starting to kick in,"It was the last story my grandfather read to me before he died. Alice in Wonderland. Ever since then, I shut this fantasy world out of my mind. Yet, now, I'm here? It doesn't make sense..."

The memory of her smiling grandfather was all she needed to get through the day. He was cheerful, always bringing joy as he described a world called Wonderland, a prosperous land, where a daring prince took over the kingdom from the corrupt Queen of Hearts. His story was constantly different from the book by Lewis Caroll. However, Alana loved both versions of the stories. She always did.

The young girl sighed at the thought, when Discerning Daisy gasped,"The story of Alice? The second Alice. The one with Jack Heart?"

"Yes, Jack Heart. He was the prince."

The flower's petals seemed to jump,"Ah, Jack Heart. A wonderful, uncorrupted soul. He always saw the truth, yet, he was deceived by the person he loved. Banished to the living realm. Never heard of since."

Alana's eyes widened,"The story my grandfather told me was true?"

"Very much."

"No way." The brunette whispered, her body instantly grew numb. Her breath hitched in her throat. She felt scared, rather, in shock. What did her grandfather do to know of such knowledge? Rather, knowledge of another world? It was so strange, yet, she needed to know. Needed to know more of what she didn't. This was all real.

Alana froze again. She glanced around her, the desolate land. _This_ was Wonderland? Alana had a strange feeling that this dream was anything but a dream. It was a twisted form of reality.

"Girl, I'd love to stay and chat, but take note of where you are,"Discerning Daisy said aloud, lifting up one of her droopy leaves up to the sky,"You are on the ground of Wonderland. The entire city is up there. This area is forbidden."

Alana glanced upwards into the darkening sky. It was so different from her world. It might have been nightfall. She saw the gray walls that bordered the valley soar upwards. She saw the edge, but was hard to see over it. She couldn't see anything above that,"Everything is in the sky?"

"Yes, sweetheart."

"So why are you down here?" Alana asked, shifting her vision back to the flower.

"Because, we are knowledge. When Wonderland was first overthrown, hundreds of years ago, we were up above on the land. However, as the second Queen came into power, we were all put down here. I'm one of the last surviving Daises. All of the others died from lack of sun and true smiling. The smiles now were all created from drained emotion." Discerning Daisy admitted, bending it's feather like petals down.

Alana's face grew pained. The brunette approached the flower carefully, resting her hand softly on the fading petal,"Smiles aren't on the face alone. Smiles are in the heart."

The yellow dressed girl then brought up her hands underneath the petal as she rested her cheek on the welted surface, holding it close. "I'll come back, Discerning Daisy. I promise, but you see, I have something for someone. I need to go find him and make sure he is alright."

The petal tickled her face as Daisy gave off a small laugh,"You brighten me, child."

"I'm glad." Alana whispered back, lifting her head off the soft petal and stepping backwards,"One last question."

"Yes?"

"Who would be able to get me home?"

The flower thought for a second before flicking its head to the side. Her voice was grave as she replied,"I know of someone. Someone from above. But, getting above is very hard once you are down."

"How would I get above?"

"You'd need to find the last building, all the way down the path. It's difficult to get there, and would take you years in addition to avoided monsters of Choas Creation. Chaos Creation is the guard down here. No one is suppose to be around here, as you can see. No one. But, if you trick him from his task, he will let you up to the top ground.

"You need to be sly, and careful. You need to trick in a way that he cannot change his mind when you win. He is truly a spouse of the devil and does not abide by the rules. Be careful." The flower warned. She then bent at the stem, bowing to Alana.

The information sent chills through her body. She didn't know if she could win. But, she had to try, for the boy, for the Daisy, and so she can get home...

"I can't thank you enough," Alana replied, flashing her white teeth at her attempt to stay strong. "I'll go find this Chaos Creation, and I'll show him who is boss." The black heels then pivoted as the girl began her journey.

"Wait."

Alana whirled around, her hair whipping about. "Yes?" She asked the flower. It seemed to want something. "What is your name?" Daisy then questioned, raising a leaf. The teenager glowed, hugging her arms together as she replied to the daisy's answer.

"Alana, Alana Corey."

"Well then Alana, thank you for making _me_ smile."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it! Please read and review :)**


	3. The Spectrum

**Chapter 3 revised on: 2/24/12**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

At first, it was walking. Then, it became a slow jog. Finally, Alana was sprinting. After the talk with Discerning Daisy, she had concluded that she was in fact in Wonderland. As much as Alana didn't want to believe it, the proof was all around her. She felt the keychain in her pocket, thus, she knew she had a reason for being here. It wasn't a mistake. But, with her new information, getting to the above layer of Wonderland was her next task.

However, as Alana walked, she felt something. Hair prickled on her neck and sent chills up and down her spine. Wonderland, at this point, was proving to be very hellish in its aura. Therefore, she had the feeling that eyes were watching her. She also knew that her being here was bad. Alana's pace quickened, but then, she did start running.

Everything felt so calming when by the Daisy. Everything. And now? She was running for her life, or what it seemed to be. She couldn't help herself. There had to be something there and she trusted the Daisy's words on _monsters_. They lived down here, probably ready to take a bite of her. But, Alana didn't see who she was running from.

Her breath grew slightly heavy, but, she stopped abruptly. There was someone behind her. She heard the breathing clear as well as their footsteps come to a halt. Alana shivered as she took it upon herself to slowly turn around. Alana was prepared to die at that very moment, but found herself meeting the gaze of violet eyes. They were oversized and one, was dangling out of place. The toothless grin on this face was merciful and the hagged breath of bad sanitation hit Alana's senses. Pale blue skin, barely clinging onto this creature's bones made him appear skeleton like. In addition, he had ragged and matted emerald hair that shagged past his shoulders.

"Everyone needs some chaos in their lives. I gave you a sprits." The cackling voice hissed, advancing towards her with a limp.

The head tilted to the side, his hand coming up to violently grab her chin. His thick curled nails dug into her skin as he mocked,"Now now, what might a pretty young oyster like you be doing here at the bottom of Wonderland? Surly, you didn't fall, for your body is fit. And, you are new here, because your heart is pumping faster than you would if you were simply running. This means that you just arrived. Explain, why haven't you been harvested?"

Alana's face remained still, despite her heart beating in rapid flutters. This man before her was terrifying. He was watching her as if he were to kill her at this moment. Alana did not want to die. She couldn't. But, this crazy man, a man who had wrinkles of age on his face were also wrinkles of, writ. His hand came down and gently ran through Alana's hair, before running along her neck. It was sensual and sent uncomfortable shivers down Alana's back.

"If you were to be here before the night's fall, then, your mark would have already been placed. However, it is not. You were here as night began to fall." The orbs examined her body which made Alana shift, "And not long either. You haven't been running much. Your dress is still brightly yellow. From the fields down are the cleanest place. Was your last conversation with the Daisies?"

The girl's eyes narrowed a bit as she felt him dissect her. She kept her mouth shut. This was Chaos Creation. He knew everything from a simple look, an examination of her body within seconds. He was intelligent. Around him, Alana heard rustling. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw red eyes watching from the shadows. Monsters. Watching. Waiting. Alana gulped, shrinking away from the creature as he studied her. She remained silent.

"The White Rabbit's watch?"

Alana hesitated at his words, as he outstretched his hand forward. He wanted to see it. Alana knew he couldn't have it. It wasn't his and she knew she might not get it back. She stepped back defensively.

"Chose not to talk? Fine." The man hissed, snapping his fingers. Suddenly, there was a low rumble. Alana's eyes widened as the ground beneath her came to life. The dead grass began to transform, whipping about as it grew and meshed with other strands. It slowly folded, molded, and formed into a chair. A chair of grass. Yet, as she stared at it in disbelief, a vine came up from the ground and tripped her by her feet. As she fell backwards, the chair moved across the ground for Alana to land right into it. The vine that tripped her then grew upwards, wrapping it's green self to restraint Alana's hands to the chairs.

"What the!" Alana cried, moving her arms as she struggled from freedom.

"You talk when in distress? Wonderful! Simply wonderful!" The man snarled, his face showing nothing but pleasure. Slowly, Chaos Creation moved forward and grabbed her hair tightly in his fist,"Tell me, girl. Why are you down here? Speak quickly. I will have your mouth cut off, your body quartered, and your mind shredded in thousands of knives before you can muster such an answer."

"Let me go!" Alana shouted back, wincing at his grip. He was going to be violent. Alana could feel water appear at the edge of her eyes. This was bad. He was going to do something bad.

The man barred his teeth,"I'll let you know, my mind is nothing but a maze. A maze with endless knives, only on the offensive. It's been built to shred things like you. Chaos Creation loves to destroy. I, Chaos Creation, would take the greatest pleasure in destroying you." He then threw her head downwards, having Alana gasp as he then grabbed her face tightly in his hands. She stared right into his face when he continued.

"It's not every day someone comes, unbranded by the light. The Queen will not know of your death, nor of my sheer enjoyment. Down here, no one will hear you scream." The man then adjusted his shredded coat, one that was gray and red... from blood stains. He let out a large chortle, before he watched terror infiltrate her expression.

"Call me a dentist if you must, for I find the mouth is the most interesting part. It can turn so many _colors_ when twisted the right way." Chaos Creation boomed, cackling with enjoyment. He then backwards away from her, clapping his hands in excitement.

Alana's mouth hung open from a moment, tears stringing her eyes. She wasn't this strong. She knew he saw her falter. But, she couldn't just give up. She had to fight him.

"I want to go to the surface." Alana whispered, her brown eyes shifting the ground,"I would rather you not hurt me, Chaos Creation. I want to leave with my body intact, together, and the way it was when I got here."

Chaos Creation let out a hardy laugh, almost jumping,"You think?"

He did a full 360 turn. He almost skipped into the neighboring darkness. Out of the grass right in front of her, appeared a mass of grass. The grass slowly broke away to reveal a giant hardwood, chipped, and bent desk. Then, he reappeared.

"If you want to go, you must answer one question. If you get it, you may leave. If you get it wrong, then you become my play-toy." He flashed his teeth, his rotten and chipped teeth. His breath smelt like a burnt fire mixed with mold that was so pungent, it hit Alana.

Alana cringed a bit,"Fine."

Then, the man reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a cube. The cube's surface was flashing thousands of different colors at the speed of light, each color clearly showing as it flickered by, as if never to come again. Chaos Creation simply placed this box on the desk.

"Pick a color. You may only pick one. The color you pick must be my favorite. It's a color, unlike any other. It's in this cube."

Alana's eyes narrowed. What kind of riddle was this? It was impossible to guess one out of what seemed to be millions of colors? And, he could have multiple favorite colors. This is what Discerning Daisy had warned her about. Alana thought about it. She wasn't smart, but this was a test of wit. It was trickery. Alana shot a look up to the man, who was grinning widely, and then to the cube. "Time is running out!" He chanted. The creatures in the shadows somehow moved closer, their figures hidden but their eyes, larger. Alana could feel her breath catch in her throat. She needed to be cleaver.

Alana nodded her head,"I have my answer." Her hands were then released from their vine-bindings as she stood up. Her mind thought for a second as she reached down to her foot.

Chaos stared at her with a troubled look on his face as the girl took off her shoe. She sent him another look before chanting, "I pick White."

Alana then approached the table and used to shoe to smash the cube wide open. The cube then shattered open, revealing a white core to the colorful exterior of the cube.

"Wrong." Chaos said, smirking,"White is not a color."

Alana, for the first time in Wonderland, smirked,"It's composed of colors, Chaos Creation. Therefore, whatever color, no matter how much you change it, could only be apart of white. By picking white, I picked every color, not one. And if you say black, I also covered that. If white creates all the colors, then all the colors, minus the complements, lead to all shades of blacks. "

The man's mouth formed into a hard line,"You bitch."

Alana crossed her arms triumphantly, rocking back onto one hip. Somehow, somehow, she did it! While Alana didn't make it apparent, she was sighing with relief inside. That answer was a complete gamble, but it was what she knew. The man sneered,"You found a loop-hole!"

"It's called art class." Alana replied cooly,"Comes in handy."

The girl then slid back on her shoe, before watching the red eyes of the creatures around her disappear. She had won. She beat Chaos Creation and she did it. Alana could feel herself relax a bit as she watched a defeated trickster,

"Your escort to the surface will be here in a few minutes, girl. Sit on the chair while I try to fix my box," he said sadly.

"Is that a trick?" Alana asked.

"No. You defeated my trick. My best one. People in Wonderland aren't aware of colors. No one has passed this test before. Not a single soul. Your terrible for actually beating my game." Chaos Creation said, rather depressed. The look on his face was one she didn't expect. He was completely destroyed. His crazed demeanor suddenly vanished. He seemed to be like a defeated bully who was finally reprimanded,"It was suppose to let me to kill you."

Alana almost felt bad for him. He actually deemed like a meek little creature at this point. Why such a drastic change?

"I'm sorry to disappoint..." Alana whispered, examining the grass chair behind her, and eventually sitting. She watched him carefully as picked up pieces of his dismantled cube. He was out of place, confused. Alana cocked her head, resting her elbow on the grassy armrest.

"You should calm your temper." She concluded aloud.

Chaos Creation, finally collecting all of the pieces, started fumbling with his broken cube. "I don't care," he muttered, staring at the fragmented pieces.

"You should care." Alana whispered, leaning back onto the soft grass and watching the dull sky. She was going to get out of here. But, she noticed how the creature in front of her lost his scary attitude almost completely. It was as if he was a microcosm of a haunted house. When the cobwebs are taken off and the vampire fangs, he was just another person. Alana grinned, he wasn't so bad.

"How did you evaluate me so quickly?" She asked, wondering.

The man scrunched his nose,"Years of practice. Now, will you stop asking questions?"

Alana gave off a small laugh,"Nope. I'm keeping you company. You seem so bored that killing is your only pleasure." The brunette then leaned forward in her seat, resting her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands,"That's not a good thing."

"What's it to you." Chaos Creation fired back, his purple eyes softening slightly, only to harden again as he went back to his cube. He then whimpered,"Why did you have to break it?"

"To show white was part of the cube." Alana replied easily, watching him for another moment. He was distressed. She broke his favorite trick. Alana couldn't help but feel sympathy for the lonely man. He had no one once his fancy display was gone. She then stood up and brushed off her dress. She advanced forward to the desk and reached out her hand,"I broke it. Let me fix it."

"No."

"Please." Alana insisted, her hand still extended.

"No."

The girl rocked back onto her hip, her eyes narrowing. "Why not?"

"You'll break it even more."

"I will not! Don't be stubborn!"

Chaos Creation glanced upwards, sending her a chilling glare,"If you break it more you're staying down here and I shred your brain."

The man then, placed the pieces on the desk and outspread his arms, displaying to her her all the pieces.

Alana studied them for a second. How could she fix this? Perhaps, this was also knowledge she had but rarely used. Maybe school was a good thing? Nah, just selective information. Alana almost laughed to herself as she attempted to think of a correct approach to this problem.

It almost hit her like a sledge hammer. This was a cube! Alana glanced down to the pieces and then at her shoe's heel. She did this multiple times, just looking back and fourth. The brunette then went to work. She, after a short while, had the cube placed back together.

"All about angles." Alana whispered, feeling her intelligence was making Chaos Creation feel rather idiotic. She heard him grumble in agitation. Alana smiled, waving him off. "I'll stop now..."

For some reason, Alana turned around. She expected to be staring down a long meadow with broken down buildings. She did see what she wanted to, but there was a man as well, approaching them.

"Ah, your escort. Good riddance." Chaos Creation murmured, throwing his hands up.

Alana squinted, unable to see the features of the figure who was walking towards them,"Who is that?" Chaos Creation grumbled a bit, before deciding to answer.

"Hatter, but he gained the title Mad Hatter recently. He is probably one of the most cold-hearted creatures in Wonderland. Yet, he still retains the name Hatter." Chaos explained,"But don't question his grumpy mood. An oyster like you with so many questions would piss anyone off."

Alana rolled her eyes and crossed her arms,"I'm sure it's not that bad." No one could beat Chaos Creation, but if this man said that Hatter was bad, he must have been. Alana was not excited for this escort trip.

No one could ever be that bad, right? But, Chaos Creation interrupted her thoughts.

"Well, when you are as heartbroken as Hatter, what could you expect?"

* * *

**I'd love for you to read and review! Thank you!**


	4. Having a Question

**Chapter 4 revised on: 2/25/12**

**Hope you like it!**

* * *

Alana's body grew heavy. Strangely, as the one called Hatter approached, she became rather nervous. Chaos Creation had said he had a temper, and although Alana couldn't see Hatter just yet, for he was still walking towards them, she could tell his stride was filled with anger, hatred, and sorrow. He was almost stomping to get here. Well, this was going to be fun.

She truthfully didn't want to deal with such a sour puss, but if he was the way up, then that is how it was. The young girl pushed a strand of brown hair behind her ears, smiling to herself and telling herself it would be alright.

She then glanced to the old man, the distorted troubled old man. She felt horrible for some odd reason. Alana couldn't actually be _mean_, but she could be sassy. She had outsmarted someone who lived off their tricks. It was like loosing right by the finish line. Alana frowned a bit, looking at the creature before her.

"Chaos Creation," Alana asked to pass time,"Why are you down here?"

"What do you mean? I'm down here because I'm not up." Chaos Creation hissed, walking around his desk. Before she knew it, an office tore up from the ground around him in a similar fashion to how the desk appeared. The grass ripped away to reveal what Chaos Creation would call a work space. There was a bookshelf, a chair (a normal chair), to counters in the back lined in the same dark wood as the desk that had appeared not too long before. Alana then placed her hand on her hip, seeming rather annoyed. He didn't want to answer her questions. Riddles. More riddles.

Alana was trying to be nice here.

"Are you having fun?" the girl then questioned, tapping her foot impatiently on the grassy ground.

The man glanced up from his position, for he had taken a seat, and was now relaxing at his desk. His feet were propped up, his eyes were glossy, and his smile was crooked. Chaos laughed,"Much fun, thank you. And no, people from above bother me too much. They think too much like a flat line. Such as the cube. They are the surfaces, and I as well are you, are the edges. We have a point to what we say."

Alana raised an eyebrow at his statement, almost laughing as she snorted,"Well clearly I'm having a hard time getting yours."

"Good. Then you are on the right track." Chaos croaked, slamming his hands down onto the table and standing up,"Ah! Hatter, finally, come take this girl away. She asks too many questions."

"A girl had defied your tricks?"

"My toughest. Rather a nuisance, wouldn't you say?"

"Then get better tricks, old man."

Alana stood there, she didn't turn around to look at the one called Hatter. Her heart raced. She did not want it to be another walking garbage can like Chaos Creation. She was afraid to see some crazy, 40 year old british man with a beer belly and a snotty, unshaved face. She did not want to look. Alana hesitated, staring at the trickster, who was looking behind her at the new figure. Chaos Creation grinned and sat down, only to begin whatever paper work he appeared to have. He had paper work?

This was all getting odd.

"What are you waiting for. If you want to get to the top, come with me. Or you can stay here. I don't care either way." That was the british voice of Hatter. Alana sighed, rolling her eyes. Fine. Better get through with it.

Alana turned around, yet, she never realized how wrong her imagination was. Hatter was not 40, nor 30. He appeared around 20, maybe 21. He wore a light gray hat over a mat of dark brown hair, hair that matched his chocolate eyes. His body consisted of a matching gray jacket, a black buttoned up shirt that hung loose around the collar. He also wore black pants. Nothing to accessorize, no tie, nothing. His outfit was dull. However, his face red of emotion.

Shock. He took a step back, shaking his head back and fourth. Alana was confused. He was looking at her as if she were a ghost of sorts. Alana glanced around her. Was he looking at her?

"Who are you?" Hatter demanded.

The brunette simply replied,"My name is Alana. I'm trying to find someone so I need to go up."

"Who are you trying to find?"

"None of your concern." Alana replied in a calm tone, yet slightly defensive. This man was already just bullying her. She didn't like it. He was setting a bad mood in Alana because he wanted what he couldn't have. This was all she needed. 2 more minutes because she was in the above ground. She didn't have to become friends with him.

"Fine. Fine." Hatter then said, placing his hands on his hips. His face was clearly expressing how annoyed he was. What the hell did she do? "Are you trying to find Alice?"

Alana furrowed her eyebrows,"Alice? Who is Alice?" Alice in Wonderland?

Hatter then moved forward, standing in front of the girl. Alana could smell the sweet cinnamon taste that fluttered off his jacket, his own scent that was infiltrating her senses. He glared down into her face, their proximity close as if his intention was to become intimidating. Alana, however, wasn't afraid. Hatter sneered,"You don't know who the Queen of Hearts is?"

"Am I suppose to know who that is too?"

"Alice, the Queen of Hearts of Wonderland. You look like you could be her sister." Hatter explained scratching the bridge of his nose lightly,"But you are different. You are shorter, your eyes are dark, and you are more." He glanced down to her body.

He would not mention the last part. Alana wouldn't say it either. Back in school, Alana was known for something. She hated it. God, she hated it. She had went to get her first bra in third grade. What did this mean? Curvy. Large on top, tiny waist, and smooth finishing legs. Alana was cursed.

But, she was rather self conscious of what people constantly thought. It was a terror for Alana, because she was misjudged and called names she is not. And Hatter was clearly evaluating her in the wrong wrong way.

"I won't say," Hatter finished, raising his eyebrows as he looked back to Chaos Creation who was now staring at his cube again. The man at the desk gave Hatter a toothy smile and a thumbs up. "Be prepared for the largest survey of your life." Chaos warned, pointing to Alana and then winking. Alana groaned a bit, but in a friendly way. He was making fun of her, but it was childish. Perhaps they were on better terms.

Hatter shifted in his stance as he inhaled deeply,"Alright." He then explained,"Let's go. Don't be annoying. If you ask a question, I'm leaving you." His eyes bore into her soul, cruel. He was not trying to be nice. And while Chaos Creation had scared her, this man didn't. He was grumpy. He wasn't threatening.

The man then held out his arm, pointing it in the direction then were going and then started on his stride as if not caring.

"Attitude." Alana whispered under her breath, shaking her head as she followed after him. Hatter seemed to have serious issues. He was acting so rude. Really. What kind of person storms the way he does, walk in, and has the nerve to call her annoying right off the bat. He doesn't even know her.

She would not stand by and be demeaned by someone as stuck up as Hatter. No. Alana was never the one to stand by and let herself be belittled. She'd ask him questions to piss him off. Why? Because she is in a fantasy world and she has a right to get some answers.

"Hatter?"

"What did I say about shutting up."

"I don't care. I have a question." Alana edged on, trotting after him.

"Here comes the headache." Hatter muttered, placing his face in both of his hands, rubbing it slightly as he moved.

Alana resisted the urge to yell at this man. She mustered up the will to not say what she wanted to, but, choose to continue,"Why are you so defiant with me?"

"Why are you so persistent?"

Alana's shook her head, her mouth opening wide as she hollered,"I asked one question!"

"Still a question!" Hatter replied, raising a finger in the air.

"And you haven't given me an answer."

Hatter's lips formed into a straight line. The man turned around so that he was walking backwards,"Because, I don't have to."

Alana crossed her arms as she stomped onwards. Clearly, this guy was a terrible person. She didn't do anything wrong. Anything. And he was treating her like the lowest dirt on the planet. She wanted to kick him, yet she knew she wouldn't. Alana hated violence, though the things she wants to do to this man, she know she would never do it. "Fine. But that just means more questions."

Hatter's eyes narrowed. He stopped walking, and Alana stopped too. He came up to her so that his breath tickled her cheeks. He smelt nice, and he was doing things to her body. Alana, for some reason, reacted to his nearness by simply shifting in her position. It wasn't too physical, but it was there. Alana scolded herself mentally for enjoying it as Hatter continued,"Listen, I have no problem leaving you down here. It would save me so much more trouble than you know."

The second of joy vanished. Alana realized what was going on. This man, before her, was not sexy. He was not good looking. He was not dashing, nor was he attractive. He was not allowed to be, or so Alana thought. She just needed him for a single reason. That was it. No emotional attraction was allowed. And he was making it easy. He was eliciting a fire within her.

"And I have no problem having Chaos Creation annoying living hell for you to take me away. All you need to do is get me to the top, and then, that's it. You can crawl back into your hole and cry for all I care. I need to go do something important, thank you." Alana hissed back into his face. She then scrunched her nose, squeezed her fists, and stormed ahead. Hatter's mouth was hung wide open.

She was such a bitch.

Alana huffed. She would not take this from anyone. Yes, she might be a bit moody, but god, he was just being impossible. She'd find her own way up. Seriously, if she had to deal with him, then she'd do something stupid like stomp her foot.

"Alana. Wait." Hatter called from behind, it was clear he was running after her. Alana ignored him. She wouldn't acknowledge that low life little ball of PMS. Eventually, he caught up to the girl,"What can you do that's important here? You're a target."

"Then I target I will be," Alana spat,"someone is hurt, I helped them, and now I want to make sure they are alright. Is that such a bad thing?" She wanted to find the boy rabbit. She wanted to make sure his leg was alright and if he needs any more help. She also wanted to return his watch. Then, she'd go back to her own world. It was such a simple plan. But, Hatter's words did terrify her as she moved along. A target. Alana would have never thought she'd be a target.

Hatter seemed confused at this idea,"Might I ask who you are trying to help?"

"A boy. He was hurt in my world, so when I helped him, he took off running. I followed him and managed to end up here. I don't know how, where, or who. I don't know anything, so don't prod." Alana fired back, still angry from before. Her chin was help upwards as she continued forward.

"I see." The british voice said, slightly calmer,"You are risking your life to help someone?"'

"Yup."

"Someone you don't know?"

"Yes! And I ask all the questions? You define hypocrite!" Alana shouted, rolling her eyes. He was asking so many questions, pointless, repetitious questions! Hatter was starting to get rather annoying himself.

"It just comes shocking to me." Hatter defended, glancing away from Alana's face,"You're resemblance to Alice, and yet you are doing something that you don't even have to to make sure they are alright. You're so odd."

"How us oysters come! Fried and baked." Alana murmured, smiling slightly. A fake smile, of course. It was weird, she normally never gets mad about anything. Just something about Hatter made her angry. As if his anger was rubbing off on her. The girl sighed. It was so pointless being mad at someone who was mad. Things would get no where.

"Just get me to the surface so we can end this pointless conversation." Alana asked, her voice showing no spite.

"We are here anyways," Hatter replied. He then halted, Alana mirrored his motion. He snapped his finger, and the ground beneath them rose up.

The ground grew upwards vertically, like an elevator. It moved Alana and Hatter to the top floor, the normal ground of Wonderland. Hatter stepped off first and held out a hand to help Alana across. The girl glared at him and stepped around him, almost pushing him out of the way. She was furious.

Hatter held up his hands and backed away from her. What was this girl's problem? Alana stood on the above ground of Wonderland. Her eyes survived the land momentarily, before she nodded her head. She gave one last look to Hatter before turning around. Alana began to walk off on her own.

"Alana, you couldn't have been serious." Hatter shouted out at the girl as he too stepped onto the top level,"You'll never find him if you die."

"If he dies first before I get there then my trip was pointless!" Alana yelled back, holding her hand up in the air and waving him off. "Bye."

Hatter bared his teeth, hissing slightly. God, this girl was an idiot. The tea shop owner chased after Alana, catching her by the arm,"It's extremely dangerous if you go out now. Your dress is very visible, and if you are caught at night, you'll never find this boy. I can probably help you, but staying out here will only lead to you getting killed."

The teenager shivered at bit at their contact, but turned around only to snap,"Wouldn't that make you happier?"

Hatter shrugged,"I only want your mouth stapled shut. The rest of you is fine." Alana's jaw dropped wide open. Jerk! "Come on. I'm taking you to the Tea Shop where you will spend the night."

* * *

**Read and review? I'll love you forever!**


	5. The Tea Shop

**First off, thank you guys. Your support has been amazing.**

**One thing I wanna mention. Alana is me. I am Alana. I shoved myself into a story, looks and all. I asked my friends if I should be honest with myself, on my appearance and personality. Well, things will change a bit in this chapter. :)**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5 revised on: 2/25/12**

* * *

Night had fully settled by the time Alana and Hatter had returned to the tea shop, thankfully avoiding any light that would cause Alana to have the oyster mark. They also avoided all people for the slight cases of exposure. The fact that there was a human, loose, and with Hatter were all signs that something was going to happen here in Wonderland.

Alana had not spoke to Hatter the entire way back. She was throughly pissed off with him. She hadn't known the man for more than 10 minutes and he sufficiently found that the best way to annoy her was to give her no other options. Alana came to Wonderland and expected to leave, but found that she couldn't with Hatter on her trail. Why should he have any power over her? He was a loner, someone who needed some sort of thrill. Alana was interesting simply in her nature, but to demand her in the Tea Shop was such an aggravating thing. Hatter was proving to be everything she did not want to encounter.

But then again, this was walking to the Tea Shop.

Now, Alana had found herself huddled in a white chair. Her hair hung loosely over her face and in her hands was a nice cup of warm tea. She cupped with tightly, staring down into the liquid. It had been a half hour of no talking between the two. Alana had stormed into the Tea Shop and plopped herself down onto this chair, fuming. Hatter had joined her after handing her a cup of tea. He too, had a cup of tea. The man crossed his legs as he watched at Alana.

He was going to give her time to cool off, seeing how she was reluctant to come here. He also wondered where this fiery ball of anger had come from? Was it just him, or did this girl seriously have problems? His eyes shifted back to the girl constantly, just looking at how peculiar she was. Her face was loosing its angry expression as time bore on, and her rigid pose relaxed.

Neither of them spoke the entire time, aware of each other's anger. It was a mutual and silent understanding that both not in the mood to talk. It seemed like this was how it was going to be for a long, long time. Yet, suddenly, the tension in the air disappeared.

"Well," Alana said, breaking the silence,"Why are you letting me stay here?" She was looking at her tea, sipping it once before she peered up from her seat to see Hatter's emotionless face. It was a question she thought she needed to ask. After all, she was horrible to him and now she was in his home. It wasn't a normal thing for him to do, rather anyone to do. Alana was, at the end of the day, thankful. As she cooled down, she figured it would simply make sense to ask.

The man pursed his lips,"I can't have you run around. It's simply dangerous."

"Why do you care?" Alana told him, eyeing him from her seat. She took a moment to pause, thinking about her next action. Hatter kept his gaze on her. For a moment, Alana stood still, before she placed her tea down onto the table in front of her. Then, she took out the watch that was in her pocket. She dangled the watch from the golden chain, listening to the rustles as the links clinked together like small chiming bells,"This is his."

Hatter's eyes narrowed, leaning forward,"That watch. It's from the boy?"

Alana nodded her head and then replied,"Yes... He dropped it."

The man stood up from his seat and walked over to Alana. Hatter kneeled down next to her and took the dangling watch into the palm of his hand. His chocolate orbs began to scan the object, examining it carefully as he flipped it back and fourth to see both sides of the watch. "I believe this is the watch of the White Rabbit organization. Did the boy happen to have white hair?"

"Yes, in pony tails. He had a young body and an old face. I found him struggling, being caught under a tree branch that was crushing his leg. I helped him get it off. Afterwards, he ran way hurt while also dropping his watch. I just want to give it back."

Alana explained, exhaling slightly at the memory. That was why she was here. To help someone. And now, she was caught up in a mess that wasn't in fact according to plan.

Hatter glanced to Alana. He took note of their distance to one another. Her mind appeared somewhere else at the moment, but her body was much closer to his. He could faintly smell roses. Hatter observed her. How did she look so similar to Alice? The same shaped face, but with different eyes and a softer expression. Alice always looked strong, but Alana did not seem like the kind of girl wanting to fight. She was different.

Hatter studied her face, how distant she looked. What was she thinking? But then, Alana somehow came back to reality, for she shook her head slightly. Her eyes shifted to the watch in front of her face, before quickly taking it from Hatter. Their skin brushed. Alana shivered slightly but did not hesitate as she put the watch back into her pocket.

Hatter sighed, staring up into her chocolate eyes,"You can't go find this boy. He is probably related to the White Rabbit association. It's a group of people who travel back and fourth from your world to ours, taking oysters and harvesting them for their emotions. Your emotions is what our economy runs on."

Alana the crossed her legs and chose to stay quiet. She didn't want to protest how wrong he was, and how she was not going to listen to him. Hatter then stood up and headed back towards his seat, plopping down in it and held his hands together before muttering,"They'd die to have you..."

"Excuse me?" Alana asked, not quite hearing what he said.

Hatter inhaled deeply as he thought of the right words to say,"Well, you are different. You are such a stubborn and ignorant girl. Yet, you want to help someone. You are very very peculiar in that very sense. They'd do terrible things to you to see what kind of emotions they could squeeze out of you."

Alana huffed, grabbing her tea cup and sipping it softly, wincing as the hot liquid brushed her lips,"Should I say thank you?"

Hatter shook his head. Really? Alana wasn't happy with this. He wasn't exactly telling her anything she needed. It was a waste of time. Alana reacted with a simply shaking her head,"If you are going to sit here and avoid telling me the truth, then I'll go... I don't need stay if that's your plan."

The man shrugged,"You can go and get killed. I'm being a nice person and letting you stay. You can accept it, or not. But I will say it's in your preference to last at least one night."

Alana gave Hatter a sharp glare,"You really have anger issues, Hatter. If you nation runs on emotions, take some 'calm'."

Hatter then snorted slightly, smirking a bit at her remark,"I think you need to realize you are not in your own world, and should accept the help you can get. If you just shut up for 5 minutes, I'd actually get to explaining what Wonderland has become so you don't get your head thrown into the lake like the rest of them."

This, caused her to freeze. Her expression shifted into one that was, well, shocked. Alana's jaw dropped,"Heads?"

"Alice, the Queen, has officially gone mad... 75 years ago, Jack Heart and Alice overthrew the Queen of Hearts. When Jack took power, this world was finally prosperous. Alice then left for her world, only to return later with a power craving.

"She was able to convince Jack to marry her, only for her to gain influence over the people and later banish Jack off into your world. He took the single item with him that always causes a stir, the stone of wonderland. Now, to get oysters from your world, they use fake stones. They don't last very long, are extremely expensive to make, and the supply of materials to make them are growing slim. Therefore, all oysters are being drained every last drop." Hatter told her, his eyes falling to the ground. Alana took note of his mood. It drastically shifted into one that was quieter. Shit. Something was wrong. Alana huffed a bit, not wanting to ask this, but she did.

"What about you?"

"What do you mean 'what about me'? No one cares about me." Hatter sneered as he thought back to the recalled memories. Alana bit her lip, her eyes suddenly filled with sympathy. He had no one?

Alana had always thought of Hatter as someone who would prefer to be alone. But, his true bitter side came out when he spoke of his solitude. She felt bad, and almost guilty as she remembered what the mad man below had said.

"Are you okay?"

The man glanced up from his dropped gaze, somehow, with a strange sense of hope in his eyes,"You want to know if I'm alright? Well, I'm not." The emotion was instantly shot down. It disappeared as soon as it came. Alana's expression calmed, her lips pressed into a hard line. It all made sense now, didn't it? Hatter, Alice, Wonderland, heartbroken... It all made sense.

There was silence in the room. They both took a moment to collect themselves, and quietly, Alana asked,"Was it Alice?"

Hatter waited a few seconds to respond,"Yes."

"Is it hard to look at me?" Alana knew that they appeared rather similar, which was also another wrench in this situation.

"Very much."

Alana nodded her head. She cupped her tea tightly. He was abandoned. No wonder why he was so bitter. And for Hatter, it was more than enough to reveal this to this random stranger. He was telling her things he hasn't said in years. But, for some reason, despite all of the anger that was apparent in their first meeting, he trusted her. She was a harmless human being.

Alana frowned,"Why are you so young? If this was 75 years ago, shouldn't you be much older?"

Hatter gazed into her eyes. She was asking such difficult questions. He then began to fiddle with his thumbs, putting together the right words in his head. His mouth parted as he replied,"Alice 'banned' aging. It's become impossible for anyone to defy her, for she stays young and fit. She wants an immortal army, one that is forever young and strong. I actually... um... we had an affair and because of it... Think of it like an 'STD' "

Alana nodded her head slowly, taking everything in. She couldn't help but laugh slightly at his use of vocabulary.

So basically, he slept with her and because of it, he was immortal. Nice. Alana smiled, but she could see why he was hurt. Did he really love this Queen? Perhaps he still did. Alana honestly couldn't say, but, something deep within her shifted. He wasn't that bad, this Hatter. He was just destroyed. He hated Alana because of how she looked, but he trusted her enough to tell her all of this information. He was conflicted. Maybe it was time to set things right.

The girl stood up and walked over to a sitting Hatter. She bent down next to him and stared into his eyes for a moment. She saw him watch her, but she took the moment to weakly smile. And then, she let her arms wrap around his neck to embrace him. She brought his cheek against hers and whispered, "I'm sorry for making you remember those things."

She figured that he needed a hug, for he was doing something for her. He probably hasn't had human contact, or rather any contact, in such a long time. She wasn't surprised when she felt him stiffen under her touch. But she simply leaned into him, making the hug deeper. She let her heart beat against his, their breathing to become in sync, and for a moment, feel at peace. It was what he needed. It was their truce.

Everyone could use a hug when sadness hits. Even the Mad Hatter.

Hatter did not embrace back, but sighed as Alana released him. She pulled away momentarily to remain kneeling beside him.

"Thank you." He told her, cracking the smallest smile. She knew he was still heartbroken, and there was nothing she could do to help. Yet, now, she knew she couldn't ever really be too mad at him, after seeing what he has been through.

She pitied him now, more so than before. Now she knew his pain, or at least a snippet of it. Yet, she knew the feeling of heartbreak too. Scott had gotten many girlfriends before, at that was her weakest points. She would break down for at least an hour the night she found out, hysterically, and would not be able to see Scott for the rest of the week, for if she even looked a him, she'd start to cry.

She was a broken angel, for she was once flying so high, and then, when his love was gone, she fell so fast towards the ground, and once hit it, took forever to stand. Yet, she still wants to fly again. Her wings a broken, and they need time to heal. So she waited for the right person to come along to fix them.

Since then, she's built a wall up. Alana was still showed passion and kindness. She hated to see other people heartbroken, for she's felt the worst of it. Or at least she thought. Like that deep throbbing hole in your chest. Hatter clearly was feeling that now. She didn't know the extent of it before, such as when they were walking, and that was probably why she exploded on him how she did before.

She was naive of his feelings.

Alana smiled,"I'll try and be nice."

"Why?." Hatter said, leaning back into his seat. Alana shrugged in response, standing up as she placed her hands on her hips. She twirled a bit,"Because I know how to feels to be an angel with broken wings."

* * *

**Awe, that last cheesy line! Read and Review!**


	6. The Proposal

**I love fixing up this story. I just love rereading and reworking scenes a bit. I also love adding little hints of fluff!**

**Chapter 6 revised on: 2/25/12**

* * *

Alana didn't talk to Hatter the rest of the night. She was over-exhausted from the entire day, and truthfully, did not have the strength to pull through with another conversation. The night was cool, but, was rather cold. She had fallen asleep on Hatter's couch, cuddling with herself as she attempted to find warmth. She had an easy sleep, yet, she found when she began to shiver in middle of the night, that she was instantly warmed.

She truthfully did not want to awake. She had a feeling if she awoke, she'd leave Wonderland. It was anything but boring, and while she wanted to go home, she couldn't help but feel as if she belonged here. But, it was impossible to keep sleeping. The girl had discovered why as she awoke the next morning. Light, light from Wonderland started beating down on her as she let her eyes fluttered open slowly. The light blinded her directly in her face, causing Alana to wince. It was not the most pleasant of greetings.

But, she knew she was here. She was in Wonderland. She was not greeted by her lime green bedroom or plethora of stuffed animals. Just a tea shop.

Alana let out a yawn, aware that it was time for another day. Perhaps she'd get to actually leave. The brunette sat up slowly, only to feel fabric fall off her shoulders. She glanced down to her body to find Hatter's jacket covering her body. He covered her in the middle of the night. Alana smiled a bit, her fingers running over the rim of the coat. That was so nice of him.

Alana bit her lip, wondering what she should do with it. The girl was about to stand up when a voice rung,"Ah, you're awake." Another reminder that she was not dreaming.

It was Hatter, of course. He glided into the room, for he running the tea shop. Maybe she had woken up extremely late. Alana smiled a bit, taking note of his slightly peppier attire. Now, he was wearing browns as opposed to grays. His hair was slightly done and he had a sort of bounce to his walk. She watched him enter onto the grass floors as he asked,"How was your sleep?"

"It was nice, thanks." Alana replied with the slightest smile. She could feel the sun reflecting off her face, her eyes almost glowing in the light. She winced a bit at its intensity, moving a strand of hair behind her ears. "When can I get going?"

Hatter; however, was immobile. He stood there, just watching her for a good minute or two. Alana frowned a bit, glancing down to her clothing. Was there something wrong? Hatter's eyes narrowed, studying her face.

"You aren't going anywhere," he then whispered.

The man walked forward and took Alana's face into his hands. He tilted her face to the side, letting the sunlight hit her cheek,"Impossible," he exclaimed,"The light isn't burning your skin."

Alana then used her own hands to grasp Hatter by the wrists, bringing his hands off her. She didn't want him to touch her, because every bit of contact sent her heart beat racing. His touch was clearly a magical power or something. But, sunlight not burning? That seemed really, well, insignificant. Alana sighed and reached down, picking up the gray coat and handing it to Hatter,"I guess I'm special then."

"Extremely. I'm sorry, Alana, but you can't leave." Hatter told her, backing away from where she was sitting. He turned back to his office and began pace. His mind seemed ablaze and Alana just observed his movements. Amused, Alana sank back into the couch. And why couldn't she leave?

"You can be a great help to the revolt against the monarchy."

Alana sat up, watching Hatter take the jacket and hang it up in the nearby closet. She couldn't help but realize that she smelt like him now, and she really liked his scent. The girl gazed at Hatter, her dark head of hair shaking back and fourth,"No. I'm not getting involved in your war. I'm here to return something. That is all."

He wanted her to be an advocate for the war. Alana was puzzled. She was not a fighter and she would not become one for the sake of Wonderland. She barely knew it, nor felt attuned to protecting it. Alana did not like where this conversation was headed.

"Actually, you are more than that now. You are an oyster that doesn't burn. Therefore, you have all the emotions, all of the drive, and can sneak past the guards of the Hearts Casino. You can infiltrate it... destroy it." Hatter told her, his face lighting up in the most emotion she has seen all day. He began to bounce again, flashing his teeth and jumping around the room.

"God, we've been waiting for someone like you to come around!"

And then he went on. Hatter began explaining the parts of the plan, more and more in depth as time went on. He did not stop, nor was his enthusiasm faltered. He kept going, beaming at the thought of Alana and the possibilities she brought. Alana sat there on the couch, her face in her hands as she stared at the ground. She stayed silent, but suddenly, whispered,"No."

"What was that?" Hatter asked, stopping his explanation.

"I won't do it."

The man's face grew angry,"And why not?"

"Because, I can't." Alana stood up from her seat. She glared at him, shaking her head back and fourth.

"I'm not some super being, I'm not any savior. I'm just Alana, an ordinary girl who needs to get home because she has tests, boys, and a life to get back to!" Alana shouted. She felt her anger rising again. All she wanted was to do a simple task. Like hell she'd do something more than that. Better yet, this sounded like a death sentence.

"Hatter, I'm not cut out for this job. I'm sorry. Whatever you think I am, I'm not."

She stared at him harshly, her lips forming a hard line before she pivoted on her heel.

Hatter stood there for a moment, just watching her. She didn't know what potential she had, did she? She could become Alice, take back the kingdom, and save what could be thousands upon thousands of lives. And yet she was being so selfish. Either way, he loved her fire. He'd simply have to get her back.

* * *

Alana had stomped off into the tea shop, through the crowds of people, and out the front door. She would not be some idiot, risk her life, and die before she even gets out of here.

She had always wanted to be a spy, yet, she couldn't help but stay in this world, not after her grandfather's stories that were true. She wanted to find the Wonderland that had animals that talked, where things were not what they seemed. Everything here was just out of whack, scary, and rather dim. She didn't want to associate with Wonderland, a place not so very wonderful. Alana knew this was a different Wonderland, a different time. But if she had to pick, this is not where she wanted to be.

But worst of all, she was terrified. She was in a world that she didn't know. Like being trapped in a box, all alone, with no way out. This was like a giant maze of this ways and that ways and no ways. Alana sighed, no use staying around the Tea Shop with moody, heart breaking Hatter. She had to find a way out of here. He did say she was only staying the night.

Yet, then she felt the jingle in her pocket. The watch. She couldn't leave just yet. Alana whipped it out and held it in her hand. The boy. Alana let off another sigh, thinking about how much pain he must be in. The watch came up to touch Alana's chest, smiling at the thought of finally finding him and making sure he was alright.

It was then when Alana started running, yet her hand was caught.

"You are the biggest lunatic I've ever met."

Alana whirled her head around to express her disdain,"Hatter, you need to let me go."

"I refuse."

"Why?"

"Because, I already told you why! If I can't convince you, then I'll take you to someone who can." Hatter threatened, his eyes shooting daggers at Alana.

"No one is convincing me to do anything. Hatter, really, I'd love to help and all, but I can't." Alana fired back, throwing the clock back into her yellow pocket in her dress before she crossed her arms. "Give me a reason on why I should help you."

Hatter thought momentarily, before he grinned widely"Because you'll be saving hundreds of people's lives."

Alana scrunched her nose,"You are a terrible man."

"I know."

Hatter found her weak spot. People. Alana hated seeing people hurt, or people dying. It was one of the things that made her feel unbearably guilty. God, she hated this man. He could already manipulate her. He was truly horrible. Alana growled a bit, before she snapped,"Fine. But if I fail miserably I am blaming you for it."

"You won't fail." Hatter told her, leading her back into the tea shop.

Alana's eyes narrowed,"And how can you trust me to not fail?"

"Because, back when I was in your world, Alice was an instructor for a type of fighting called karate. Being her lover, I took her courses and overtime learned a few new things myself. She was a great teacher and..." Hatter's voice trailed off as he remembered his times with Alice. How she would teach him to talk, how she would smile at him, jump on his back, kiss his neck... How that would lead to so much more.

The girl pursed her lips as she saw Hatter doze of to remembering the past? What a troubled person. No wonder why he was heartbroken. He can't move on. "So you are telling me you are going to teach me out to fight." Alana interrupting his thoughts.

As Hatter broke free of his memories he responded,"A-ah yes. Yes, I will teach you."

"Fine. But I won't like it." Alana huffed, crossing her arms and pouting on her way entering the shop. Hatter held open the door for her before smirking,"No pain, no gain."

* * *

**Read and review? I'll love you forever!**


	7. Injured

**This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but hopefully, will prove to be fun! **

**Chapter 7 revised on: 2/25/12**

* * *

"So, you start like, no no no. It has to be like this." The british voice echoed throughout the clearing, rather annoyed.

Hatter and Alana had compromised.

Both of them eventually got back to Hatter's section of the tea shop. Together, with the slight argument of Hatter, pushed the furniture to the sides of the grass. Alana in the process had fallen, tripped, and managed to knock Hatter's hat off through a desperate attempt to stay on her feet. It was rather hilarious on Alana's part, because of the mass of hat hair he had on his head. She was smiling the entire time, leaving Hatter rather pissed with how easily she was knocked off her own limbs while keeping a bright mood.

Now, all the furniture was out of the way. Alana had her shoes off, her hair tied back with an acceptation of a few strangles that fell loose to frame her face. Alana had received instructions from Hatter on how to place her arms, her feet, yet, she fell backwards.

"Really! Are you even listening to my directions!" Hatter shouted, rather disheveled as he approached the teenager. He threw his arms down in frustration, giving Alana a helping hand upwards. Alana laughed, mainly because she thought this entire thing was completely ridiculous. It was impossible for Alana to get this.

Hatter moved his body into the position he was trying to teach Alana. "Like this."

"Like this." Alana repeated, imitating him and his body's stance.

"Good, good. That's right. Now, I want you to put your weight on your left leg and use your right leg to kick." Hatter then told her, demonstrating with a kick that Alana would soon copy.

The girl's jaw dropped, aware of how mad he must be to think she could do that,"I think you've lost your hat."

Hatter rolled his eyes,"It's not hard. You just have to do it!"

Alana gave a hard smirk as she spoke sarcastically,"Some of us just aren't so gifted!"

The man scrunched his nose before scratching it,"Fine. I'll break it down into idiot for you. How about that?" The girl's jaw dropped even farther. He did not just say that. Alana knew this would be hard, but for him to say something like that. God, Chaos Creation calling him cold hearted was really an understatement.

He was being truly the mother of all bitches. He didn't understand that Alana, as Alana, could not possibly comprehend, mentally, these tasks. He needed to be taught a lesson to not bully her the way he was. Yeah, she'd teach him.

Alana quickly formulated an idea, giving him a hard look. She glared at Hatter, walked right up to him, and stomped her foot as hard as she could on the ground. Well, the ground is where his foot was. Yes, she just stepped on his toe. Hard. Alana smiled triumphantly as Hatter let out a howl and began jumping on his right foot, holding his left leg up in the air for it was hurting badly.

"ARE YOU BLOODY KIDDING ME" Hatter yelped as he winced in pain.

Alana shrugged and grinned,"You speak idiot fluently. I'm impressed, yet, I can't comprehend such a... unique form of tongue." She then winked at him devilishly, before walking over to a table that was pushed back and picked up her unfinished cup of tea from earlier that day. She leaned back against the table, her brown eyes glowing as she sipped her little cup,"No pain, no gain."

* * *

Alana was laughing so hard. She had Hatter's foot submerged in a bucket of ice. He was wincing, she was smiling. He was also sitting in his favorite chair, the one with the raised edges. All the furniture was still where it was when they were practicing. Alana was practically dying of contorted chuckles. Hatter's face was of complete shock at first. He couldn't believe she did that!

"Why did you do it?" Hatter asked, his eyes shut tightly.

"Because you asked for it," Alana whispered simply. She sat at his feet, her arms around her knees as she leaned her head on them as well. Alana glanced up,"I truthfully don't know why."

Hatter starred off into the distance,"Yeah, me neither."

"You have to understand that I'm not moldable." Alana told him, her voice soothing, but then she laughed,"You have a great yell though. Like, horror movie worthy."

"Not hard to believe." Hatter sneered, his vision switching to his aching foot. Alana bit her lip, and Hatter saw this small, instinctive act, only to smile a bit. "You'll hurt yourself when you do that."

The girl seemed perplexed,"Do what?"

"Biting your lip. One day, you'll break the skin." Hatter explained, huffing a bit.

Alana instantly stopped, fighting down the blush that was hitting her cheeks,"Oh... It's a habit."

Hatter just nodded his head. She had no idea what was going through his mind. Almost like a little secret agenda he had. Alana had a feeling he was constantly talking to himself and was thinking of something horrible. It was probably Alice. The girl let out a sigh, whatever. She didn't need him to tell her everything, right?

"Well, sorry about your foot." Alana apologized, grinning up at Hatter,"It's a step." She told him, referring to her kinder mood towards him.

Hatter had rolled his eyes,"Yeah, thanks. You know, I won't be able to walk on this thing for like a week."

Alana's mouth opened to reply, but found no words escaping. She hadn't thought of that. He had a shop to run that well, was his life. Alana stared at the floor, she didn't know how to respond. Hatter's face instantly morphed. "I know how you can repay me." The girl glanced upwards, her eyes showing confusion. "What?"

"Since I'm disabled, I am going to need some help here, running the tea shop. You, can become my helper. Help me run this place as I heal a bit more, kinda like a debt. But, during your off hours, I can verbally help you train. How does it sound to you?" Hatter asked, tilting his head at his wonderful proposal.

"So you basically want me to become your apprentice, run the tea shop that supports the end to my race, and train for you to laugh at me." Alana questioned, her voice rather innocent.

Hatter let out a hardy chuckle, leaning forward and grinning,"Basically."

"You make it sound like a bad thing."

"You're only helping me run my business, it's a debt." Hatter leaned back as cooly as he could. He watched Alana's expression, which was still ambiguous. She didn't know what to think. He could imagine that it was something that would make this situation horrible. "You are not supporting the end of the human race, but helping me. And, I promise to not laugh at you... when you do something... for the most part." The mad man was now the grinning one, flashing his pearly white teeth,"What do you say?"

Alana stayed quiet for a minute, thinking over what she was accepting here. It means she'd be here longer, train while going unnoticed, and basically, doing what she told Hatter she would. She would have her own plan delayed. The teen had nothing better to do anyways. She was stuck here for an indefinite amount of time. "Fine." Alana said,"But on one condition." Her finger was held up in the air, and Hatter seemed rather confused.

Alana motioned to the hat rack in the back, pushed against his white cabinets. The girl waltzed to the rack, picking out a black hat, and placing it on her head. "If I'm going to help you run the shop, I'm going to have to become a prick like you, right?"

Hatter's eyes narrowed as she walked back to where he was.

Alana was now flashing her own white teeth, twirling,"I'm going to become a Junior Hatter for a week. You can teach me how to run the shop, I'll listen, and I'll train. But, I get to imitate you."

"Why."

The teen let out a laugh and sat down next to Hatter. She reached up and twisted the end of his hat, searching his eyes for a moment.

Alana then replied, "Because, you're an interesting person and I figure if I become you, I can get to know you better without trying to tear your head off."

Hatter shrugged. He stared deeply into her chocolate eyes, looking so excited and willing for the first time. Besides, their proximity was not helping him decline her. He would let her do it. Why? He couldn't deny an adorable girl in a hat. And not just any hat.

A Mad Hatter hat.

* * *

**And here is Alana's outfit!**

**htt p: /w ww .pol yvore .co m/cg i/img -thin g?.out=jp g&si ze=l&tid= 599 1786**


	8. First Day

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8 revised on: 2/25/12**

* * *

"First thing, is don't let anyone give you bull-crap."

No bull crap. Strict. Mean. Harsh. Relentless. This was the new direction Alana had to take. She had chosen to go full out in this new job. It was what she needed to do to be, well, successful. Alana was excited, even. She spent a lot of time with Hatter, developing her persona. This was now the brief pep talk after all the preparation. She felt as if she were a football player getting ready for his big game.

"You are herby the temporary me. So, you take charge." Hatter directed Alana, sitting in his seat. By this time, Alana had pulled up her own chair. Around her body was a royal blue jacket from the blake closet and the dark hat was still on her head. However, now, her straight locks hung loosely around her shoulders. She leaned forward a bit, watching the man talk. She liked watching him talk, because every word he ever said sounded pretty.

Alana nodded her head, listening to his words, before she added,"Who would ever disobey JH?"

"JH? What in the world is that?"

"My code-name. JH. For Junior Hatter." Alana spoke, grinning at her cleverness.

Hatter rolled his eyes,"This is not some secret agency. It's a tea shop. Get your facts straight." He sighed a bit, staring down at his foot,"Sorry," he instantly apologized,"If we want to make this work-"

"You." Alana interrupted.

"-if_ I _want to make this work, _I_ need to behave. And YOU do too." Hatter said, for his voice always had that annoyed tone to it. But it relaxed quickly.

He smiled a bit, yes, an actual smile. The two of them were getting along, or so it seemed. They had these little moments when they would just smile at each other and would laugh, "So, where was I? Ah, yes. You can't let anyone tell you that the stocks are wrong. They are right. The prices are rapidly increasing. So, you have to stand by and make nothing changes."

The girl crossed her legs, followed by her crossing her arms. She leaned back into her chair and sighed,"Like the stock market."

"Similar, yes." Hatter agreed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the arm rests,"Now, I want you to go inside there and tell Dormouse that I sent you. ONLY I SENT YOU. He will ask you what you are there for, and tell him you are my assistant, a girl who I found wanting a job and I choose to give it to you out of pity. Say those words."

"Why so specific?" Alana questioned. It didn't make sense for him to lie. It was his business and he simply hired her. It wasn't like, some secret agency, as he so notoriously put it.

Alana shook her head, adding,"You didn't give it to me out of pity. You don't have an option, Hatter. I think I should bluntly tell him the truth. I injured you and now I'm paying you back for it." The man in the seat shrugged, tilting his hat forward,"Fine. Fine."

"I'll be back in 30 minutes."

Hatter pursed his lips,"Don't let them eat you."

Alana had then walked down the pathway from the green area of Hatter's closed off sanctuary. She headed off and entered the tea shop for her eyes to visualize what was going on. People were crowding everywhere, yelling, shouting as a small man on a stand raised a glass bottle that held a green liquid inside,"This holds the feeling of ecstasy! Get it, for it's better than happiness and pleasure combined. It beats out all others!"

The girl's eyes narrowed. That liquid held a feeling? But feelings are from inside... not a liquid. Maybe it was like chocolate. It releases endorphins to make you feel like your in love... Could be the same thing. Alana kept walking into the crowd, seeing tables along the side of people sitting and drinking emotions while some were actually drinking tea.

The people were laughing as the pink, green, and blue liquids touched their lips as they swallowed. Happy emotions. Alana smiled a bit, adjusting her hat a bit. She continued to walk down the pathway as some other tables were shouting at the little man. She made the assumption that the man's name was Dormouse, for he seemed to be the one running this shop under Hatter.

His eyes narrowed as it came in contact with Alana, wandering around the shop. "Who the hell is that... Never seen her before in my life."

Alana, meanwhile, was watching the people shout as their favorite teas raised and lowered in prices. Strange, it was like how the Chinese became addicted to British tea. They were addicted to it. They couldn't stop buying, even as the prices soared. Alana almost took pity on these beings.

Why couldn't they feel emotions for themselves?

The brown eyes searched around, seeing everyone jump out of their seats as the price for "lust" sky-rocketed. A woman changed it on the blackboard, writing the current price as it raised. People were shouting, as if outraged at the price jump. "THIS IS A LIE!" A peculiar woman shouted, leaving her seat and walking up to the podium.

A few spectators stood still and watched. One, who was by the corner, stared intensely on the scene. He had on a black suit, torn in places, yet, his golden eyes were unwavering as the woman shouted in her large fur coat.

"You are kidding me! That price _must_ be incorrect! Lust have never been so much!" The stout woman shouted, her coal black eyes narrowing at Dormouse. "I demand a recount!"

"I'm sorry Ma'am, that's what it is!" Dormouse shout back, seeming rather timid from the large nature of this lady.

She almost growled, slamming her fist on the clear podium stand. She was getting aggressive, angry, and even more so, raging. The black ringlets on her head shook violently as she threw her hands outwards,"I DEMAND A RECOUNT!"

"Excuse me, Ma'am, may you explain to me _why_ you would kill an innocent animal?" A voice said aloud. The voluptuous lady turned around to see a small girl standing there, hat on her head, intimidating grin on her face.

"I beg your pardon! I have never killed an animal all my life!"

Alana let out a cruel laugh,"Really? Because the one on your jacket says it looked at you and died."

The woman's face became distorted,"Why you terrible little girl! Who are you?"

"JH, Junior Hatter. I'm running the shop in Hatter's absence. Now, unless you'd like to face more humiliation, I suggest you sit down, shut your lips, or, take the option of leaving." Alana hissed, her eyes narrowing.

"You have no power!" The woman gave off a small snort, standing tall.

Alana, who was clearly shorter than the women, did not back down. Instead she tilted her head and opened her mouth,"You know, I'd insult you and all, but I can't think of one stupid enough for you to comprehend."

The women barred her teeth,"Quiet! How dare you insult me!"

Another laugh escaped her throat,"Oh hush up. You'll never be the man your mother is."

It was as if flames had reared in the tea shop. Everything was silent as they watched the two verbally battle it out. Alana stood strong. "Junior Hatter, I demand you show me respect!"

Alana simply replied,"Respect? Demanding? I think you're in no place to demand respect, after all, you didn't show respect to the mirrors you've shattered."

"No wonder! You are just as terrible as he is!" She snorted. The lady had enough of these insults! Therefore, she started to turn around, and began off.

"Leaving so soon? And I was just about to poison the tea." Alana said, leaning against the post with crossed arms. All eyes were on them, watching the interaction between this girl and the lady in the fur coat. The girl raised her thumb and pointed behind herself,"Apologize to Dormouse."

The woman huffed, turned around,"That's taking it too far, Junior Hatter."

Alana smirked,"Oh, so you want to continue? Lets see, shall we talk how you were born on a highway? You know, where most accidents happen? Or perhaps your intelligence. If you were twice as smart, I'm sure you'd still be stupid. Take your pick. Because once we finish these lovely topics we can move onto more. I have plenty of things that would make you wish you were never born."

These insults made her seem so cruel. However, it was empowering. The woman was speechless as she stared at the small girl. She had such a fire, but she made these few moments of silence hell. "Apologize."

Alana felt so powerful. The woman sighed; she was so humiliated. She heard a few snickers, a few laughs, yet, nothing could beat the shocked looked on everyone's face as she whispered,"I'm sorry, Dormouse," before she quickly left.

As she left, Alana simply shouted,"Stick that in a juice box and suck it."

The man in the corner instantly whipped out a small device and began typing it discreetly. Alana glanced around the tea shop, deciding now would be a time to make her mark here,"Just because Hatter isn't here doesn't mean things are going to get out of hand. I hope to see better manners in the future, or you won't feel any emotion ever again."

It was then that there was another silence. Dormouse looked at Alana, silently thanking her, before he shouted,"Calm, dropping .05%!" And that, is when the normal shouting of the room returned. Alana, in turn, moved into a corner to observe. And, she took a moment to reflect.

She really was acting like Hatter. Alana couldn't help but giggle to herself, for, she was really being mean. Well, she thought of everything Hatter would say before she said it... She did hate being mean, but, she was acting, right? Just a little show to keep the order around here.

And now, Alana began to realize why Hatter was so cold. This was a rough job in a rough world. He was trying his best to fend off crazy ladies in large fur coats. The brown eyes of the girl watched things pick up again, some more shouting, some bidding, but the greatest thing was Dormouse's smile. He seemed like he was fought for, like he had someone watching his back. Alana, even though she didn't know the small man, was happy to be that for something. She was happy to make a change in someone's life.

Alana walked behind the stand and placed a small pat on his back for reassurance. It was time to head back to hatter. She exited out the back, for her training session would start soon. Yet, she didn't see the man from the corner watch her the entire time. He only left the Tea Shop as soon as Alana's presence was gone.

* * *

"You really did that?"

"Yup." Alana whispered, her hair tied up in a high ponytail. Her face was determined as she punched thin air, practicing. Hatter was in his chair, his legs propped up on a small stool as he leaned back, watching Alana run in circles practicing.

"And she left just like that?" Hatter asked, referring to the woman earlier today.

Alana was laughing as her forehead gleamed of a light layer of sweat,"Just like that."

She was currently wearing a large white vneck t-shirt and boxer shorts, curiosity of Hatter's trip to her world with Alice. He claimed he never wore either, for she soon came back to Wonderland and he couldn't look at them. Alana, actually, didn't mind. She just didn't want to wear what she came here in to get all worked up in.

Hatter's face was baffled, totally shocked at Alana's instant triumph. "So acting like me really worked."

"In a way. It made me realize how much of an asshole you really are." Alana laughed, raising her leg in the air to kick it. Hatter was just about to retaliate when Alana the continued,"But it made me understand why... People are just so demanding and annoying at times."

The man tilted his head slightly, a small smile formed at the corner of his lips,"I'm glad you understand."

"About time too," said Alana, stopping for a moment to look at Hatter. They stared at each other, before a grin appeared on both of their faces. In response, Alana threw her fists into the thin air. Hatter nodded his head to the fine tune of sweet harmony... At last.

* * *

**Please read and review!**


	9. The Queen of Hearts

**I added something to this revision that is VERY extreme in the story line plot. It will change some things later on, but as I was working it, I needed to add this in. This is a MAJOR revision.**

**Chapter 9 revised on: 2/25/12**

* * *

The week dragged onwards. Alana was progressing with her training rather quickly. She found herself determined to keep her body fit, even working extra time. Hatter sat by her the entire time, chortling away. He told her stories of Wonderland, much like her grandfather had. He was calmer, even. Alana took note of the significant difference between Hatter's moods. She caught him reading, even. He was... just happier.

She made the daily rounds in the Tea Shop, and while doing it received many nods. She was running the place smoothly, learning a bit more everyday about how the stocks worked. The person who appreciated her the most was Dormouse. He loved not being yelled at, and no one argued about price changes. They were terrified that JH, the mysterious apprentice of the Mad Hatter, would come out with her book of insults.

Alana, in her own right, was thankful. She wasn't too sure how many powerful comebacks she could dish up with repeating herself. The girl was happy. Yes, Alana was happy here. She found that with her work schedule, nothing was really bad. Therefore, if it's not bad, it had to be good.

Hatter, on the other hand, loved the company. He listened to her story, one that she was describing vividly as her eyes expanded in excitement. They no longer yelled at one another. They no longer fought. It had been at least 3 more days of their time, and in that time, there was a radical shift. Alana just, well, was kind. She always cheered him up and never let him frown. He was truthfully happy. And with that happiness came a familiar warmth between the two. This was a girl who was bringing him out of his darkest times. He didn't know how to repay her.

Alana was able to connect with Hatter on newer levels.

Her story continued, and Hatter quickly interjected, "So he wrestled?"

Alana was sitting on the floor, her knees propped up and leaning back on her arms. "Mmhm, and good at it too. I'd go to one or two matches and just watch. It's such an interesting way of fighting." The girl shot up from her sitting position to stand, her arms and body forming into a stance, one unlike any other. It was odd, and she was hunched over like so. Hatter grinned wildly, flashing his teeth as he chuckled. Alana was funny.

"They'd start like this, and then tackle!" Alana shouted, jumping forward and rolling on her side. She was grinning as she rolled back up onto her two legs. Hatter was two broke out into laughter, Alana's own eyes sparkling.

Hatter became instantly curious,"Brilliant! And they fight like that?"

Alana nodded her head,"You can imagine how interesting it must be!"

Hatter leaned forward a bit, resting his elbow on his knees. A hint of something was apparent in Hatter's eyes as he whispered,"It'd be more interesting in person."

"I can show you, without the formalities." Alana grinned, her cheeks heating up slightly at the thought. Hatter tilted his head, patting next to him. "Like, without the use of a floor or a rink. Perhaps on a couch?"

It was then that Alana froze for a moment. What was he implying? But then, after a few moments, she got it. And she wasn't too sure how to react. He was implying something sexual. But, did Alana want something like that? Maybe. Alana was hesitant, before crawling up next to Hatter. Her heart began to race. Her breath became shallow. But she wanted to be in control of this. She wanted complete control, actually. Therefore, she grinned.

She stood up on the couch, before she said,"First, you'd have to get into starting position. Well, I do."

Alana then swung her right leg over Hatter's body, before crouching down above him. Before she knew it, she was, well, straddling him. Alana could feel her face warmer than usual, and, her heart was pounding. Her head was a blur, and then, her instincts took over.

Hatter stared at her with wide eyes and a sly smirk. His hands found themselves on her waist, running small circles along her back. Alana found that his touch made her inhale sharply, her eyes watching him intently back. One of her hands came up to lightly touch his jaw, her thumb skimming over his bottom lip. She wanted to touch those lips. Alana could feel his heart beat as her lower body pressed against his own. And then, in that moment, her mouth came closer to his. His eyes showed desperation, but her lips never met his own. Instead, they grazed his cheek as they slid to his ear.

Alana softly whispered,"Then it's your move."

She felt his body pause in hesitation. But, he instantly used what strength he had to lift Alana up. He didn't flinch, nor show any signs of his injuries. He placed Alana beneath him as he straddled her. His lips came into contact with her neck, stroking it with his tongue as leaving Alana almost speechless. Then, the kisses on her neck, became lighter as his hands held her body close to his. His breath tickled her.

Alana bit her lip at the tingle of pleasure erupting from Hatter's kisses. Her mouth parted momentarily, feeling heat sweep over her body in waves of estacy. Hatter planted a few kisses more before he trailed up to her jawline.

Alana let out a soft moan, gasping as she did. Her chest rose and fell heavily as she felt so... alive. She felt something different, something, powerful form within her as Hatter trailed kisses on her jaw, then to her chin, and then, her mouth.

And for the first time, Hatter and Alana stared up into each other's eyes. Yes, they always felt one another watching each other. They knew there was tension there, and they knew that their smiles and glances were not always just as friends. Alana knew. Hatter knew. And with that, he made his move.

He captured her lips with such force, his hands roughing tossing her hair. It felt as if he could do nothing but kiss her. So much force went down on this kiss as both of their eyes shut, and let their bodies instincts take over. Their tongues managed to find their way out of the mouth and collide into one another. Tossing and turning, loving the greeting and passion that the other provided.

Alana the brought her hands up to wrap around his neck, kissing his back passionately from all the bottled up emotions she had. She was too, not shocked to find Hatter to be an amazing kisser as soon as his tongue continually pleaded for entrance into her mouth by licking the corners of her lips. Alana let out a soft moan as her fingers played with his hair.

So many emotions were rushing through her as Hatter feverishly kissed her. He wanted her. Hatter wanted to kiss her this entire time. And god, she wanted to kiss him back so much more. She was... falling for him. Harder than she'd ever known. Never before had she thought that such a stuck up would be the very person she'd end up falling for. She couldn't tell if it was love.

Hatter then moved upwards, his lips never parting hers as he then kneeled over her, brushing his lips more gently and less full as he pulled his head back. The girl was panting from the lack of air, and Hatter too was breathing heavily. Alana's eyes were gleaming, smiling up at Hatter's orbs.

"Who won," Alana whispered breathlessly.

* * *

"My grandfather loved to watch wrestling on TV. It's how I got into it." Alana exclaimed, sitting on the couch next to Hatter. Her head was now resting into the crook of his neck, leaning into him and taking in his scent. She smiled a bit, tracing lines on his chest as his arms wrapped tightly around her body. She felt safe and secure for once. The flutter of his heartbeat was enough to make her beyond happy. She did that to him. She made him excited. Alana only wanted that.

Hatter glanced at her, causing her to tilt her head upwards,"Your grandfather, the one who told you about Wonderland when you were little?"

"He told me two versions of the story. One was with the flowers, the smoking caterpillar, and a Mad Hatter who celebrated un-birthdays." She flashed him a smile, only for him to return one,"And the other sounded more like this place. He spoke of the wicked queen of hearts, a brave hatter, and a white knight."

"Charlie."

"Yes... Charlie. He always told me to call him Uncle Charlie when I was little, saying he deserved the title." Alana's face seemed to lit up as she spoke of Charlie. She went on to explain epic tales of how he set up a bone army and frightened all the men of the Queen.

Hatter's eyes narrowed,"That story is true."

"So I've been told..."

"Alana, I have a question for you. What was your grandfather's name?"

Alana tilted her head,"Why does it matter?"

"It's just-"

Suddenly, the doors to the tea shop rammed open. Alana instantly jumped out of Hatter's arms, moving over to the other side of the couch. The noise scared her, and truthfully, she didn't want to be discovered intimate with Hatter. Out of the door to Hatter's private lounge walked none other than Mad March. His white rabbit ears twitched, his body moved forward. His stride was powerful, however, the beast did not speak. Either way, it sent chills through Alana. She was terrified.

The real shock laid behind him. Alana gasped, Hatter's eyes widened,"Oh my god." He whispered as the Queen of Wonderland, Alice, stepped right behind the rabbit. Her blue eyes were terrifying, yet, she was tiny and fierce. Her hands placed on her hips as she scanned the grass.

"Hatter!" She said, rather joyfully. Her smile was forced and cruel. She then walked forward, her dress was bright red and her tights were black. Hatter sat in his seat, immobile. She finally approached the green area, stopping at where the pavement met the grass. "What? I come all the way to see you and I don't even get a hug? I've missed you."

Hatter smiled a bit, wincing as he forced himself up onto his two feet and limped all the way over to Alice, hugging her. Alana was shocked. He was going through physical pain... all for her. When Hatter pulled away, she gave him a slightly wicked smile. You could tell that she was evil, just from the way she looked at Hatter. It was like she wanted to eat him.

Alana felt a ping of jealously sweep through her. Why was she here? She had let Hatter for years on end and now she just appeared? Alana didn't like this. She didn't like how Alice was touching him.

"Alice." Hatter spoke, his voice hand a tint of interest,"And what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I actually came because one of my men said that they saw someone called 'Junior Hatter' here. I wanted to meet this person." Alice said rather harshly, her vision switching to Alana immediately. "Are you Junior Hatter?"

Alana sent a wary glance to Hatter, only for him to give her a slight nod in the head. The girl stood up and then peered over to Alice,"Yes, I am Junior Hatter." Alana, at this point, was happy she made this alias. No using her real name anymore... Guess she even lost her name here. But, it would be the only way she could keep herself safe. Names were powerful.

"Well, Junior Hatter," Alice said rather proud,"Great to meet you." Her hand outstretched and Alana grasped it, holding it firm as the Queen shook it proudly. "Well, it was nice checking up on you guys. I really missed you, Hatter." Alice turned her head back over to the man. She placed both of her hands on his shoulders, leaned forward, and brushed her lips on his cheeks. "I mean it."

Hatter's face grew red,"Well-uh, Alice. I missed you a lot too." He blushed, his body slowly becoming stiff.

Alana's eyes narrowed, for she knew something was up when she began to kiss him more and more. Alice's mouth began to kiss his neck passionately. Alana knew what this was... what something like this would lead to. The teenager stared at Hatter, asking him silently what she should do. His eyes looked at her, then the tea shop door. He wanted her to leave.

Was he kidding? They just shared an extremely intimate moment, and then, he just wanted her to go? Alana felt her heart sink deep into her chest, shaking her head back and fourth. Her eyes misted over for a moment. He was going to give into her. Hatter, however, seemed more than occupied than to pay attention to Alana.

Alana nodded her head painfully, and exited just as Hatter said... She heard Alice's giggle... she knew what was happening in there and she knew Hatter was completely naive to fight her back. He was indeed going to be seduced by the Queen of Wonderland.

Yet, she couldn't help but feel overly jealous about the situation. Alana felt pained as she exited into the Tea Shop, leaving Hatter alone to fend for himself. Chances are he'd be crueler than usually after being seduced by the Queen of Hearts and then having to be ditched. Alana threw her face into her hands as she found herself a seat, Dormouse glancing over to her and sighing. He knew what she was feeling. Mostly because he too, had to see Alice enter the shop.

It was just so... idiotic!

Alana had finally got that _connection_ with Hatter. She was feeling something for him and he was feeling something back? Why?

Dormouse left the large empty tea shop to give Alana space. She ran her fingers through her hair, using her palms to dab away the wetness from her eyes. Why was she even getting upset? It was because she was putting down her wall for Hatter, and yet he couldn't protect her. Alana was wrong in feeling that she had any claim over him. She didn't. Neither did Alice, but still.

He was forgetting his heartbreak and moving onto a friendship that was healthy. And guess what Alice brought where-ever she went? A shattered heart of Hatter.

She knew Alice was there to fuck with him, in both senses. Alana became aware of that as soon as Mad March left the room too. Alana noticed him standing by the door that divided the tea shop and Hatter's study. He stood by the door, his black eyes keeping on Alana as he stayed still. Alana shook her head into her hands, mumbling to herself quietly all the things she should have done back in there.

Alice had some sort of... secret agenda. Just like Hatter. It was like Alana, even though in Wonderland, was locked out of an entire world of hidden notes and unnoticed figures. She just didn't belong here, in a world where nothing was as it seems.

* * *

**Now, what was different, is that there was never a kiss between Alana and Hatter. This adds to the angst and character development I wanted to add to this story. Therefore, you might not get to see this side of the characters until I get to revising that part of the story. **

**Anyways, I hope you read and review soon!**


	10. Evacuate

**Hello everyone! So, seeing how insane you guys are, I just had to update. I had this chapter waiting to be posted for like a week now (Yes, I had some chapters in que), and seeing how totally awesome you are, I had to post it. Normally, I'd wait until Monday, but nah. So, I do hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Alana had slept into closing of the Tea shop. She was the only one left in the room, the only one there with a single light on above, the rest, in darkness. She had fallen asleep on the table, her brown hair buried into her arms as she sat in a chair there, almost lifeless.

Her eyes grew tired as she felt the sunlight breech the holes in the ceiling above. It was another day.

The Tea shop was not opened. She was the only one inside besides Hatter, or so she thought. Alana was groaning as she stood upwards, her locks messy and around her fadec as she stooped over to the doors of the shop. She starred at them for a moment before soundlessly pushing them open to greet her body to the warm sunlight from above. Alana did not smile, she did not say anything but lean up against the post that was boarding the porch.

She let out a large sigh, her chocolate eyes reflecting in the light as she simply stood there. How was she to walk into Hatter's office area? The awkwardness would overwhelm her. Alana bit her lip, and, it was the first time she did since Hatter told her to stop two days ago. Then, the door to the shop opened. Alana jumped, her heart racing a bit.

Out stepped out Mad March, Alice behind him. Alice huffed out, both of her arms on her hips. "Let's go." She instructed, walking down the steps. She would have continued walking if Alana wasn't there, but she was. So, the Queen stopped in her tracks and glared at the girl,"Junior Hatter, nice to see you again."

"Pleasure is all mine." Alana said, her voice filled with a slight ping of hate. Mad March had his fake eyes plastered onto Alana, not wavering.

Alice tilted her head,"You seem mad at me. Did I do something?" Her voice was hidden with secrets. Alana shrugged,"I don't believe I even know you enough to have an issue with you."

"Well," Alice said, her eyes glaring daggers, as if revealing her true feelings,"I think we will know each other very soon. Would you care to walk with me?" Her voice was threatening, once more, her secret agenda. Alana has narrowed her eyes, her own smile forming. Yet, it too, was slightly twisted,"Actually, I have a tea shop to run. Maybe another time"

The teenager stood up straight, walking past Alice without even looking at her. She stood up by the door of the shop, turned around, and said,"Have a nice day," Before disappearing through the entrance of the tea shop.

Alice's face: Not happy.

* * *

Alana had ran into the Tea shop. Her first instinct was to see if Hatter was physically alright. She was scared, for, she knew how Alice was able to manipulate him so. The girl became worried, running as fast as she could to the end of the pathway and then to the left, finding her way through double doors. She was not afraid of the awkwardness anymore, for, after that glare from Alice she was worried for Hatter's own health. Finally, she ran forward down another path, seeing green up ahead. She also saw a hat, laying down on the couch. But, where was Hatter?

After running forward a bit more, she stopped at the grass. What she saw was the hat on the couch, yet, she didn't see on the floor beside the couch. Well, now she did as she walked into the shop. She saw Hatter there, shirtless, pant-less, in only boxers. His clothes were thrown around the room, and, he was knocked out.

The girl gasped,"Hatter!" Alana ran down to the floor beside him and grabbed his head. She elevated it on her lap,"Hatter!" Her eyes went wild, her breath quickened. There was no blood, but she didn't know what to do. The girl placed his head gently to the ground, running to the closet and taking out a blanket from the bottom draw. She then hurried over to Hatter. With all her might, she hauled him up onto the white sofa that he laid beside. She made sure she sat down, so that Hatter could rest his head on her lap as a pillow. Once in this position, Alana placed the blanket over the both of them.

She wasn't sure how long he'd be asleep, but, she wanted to make sure he was comfortable and would be okay for the time being before she goes ahead to run the Tea shop. Hopefully, he'd awake by then. In about 10 minutes, the girl had sat up and got a pillow to gently place under his head. She then had set a tea cup on a small table, setting it aside the couch, and then left for "work."

* * *

Everything went according to plan as the day dragged onwards. The prices rose and fell, and really, Alana was bored. She waltzed around the shop, checking up on people who were to be waited on while others were bidding on different teas. She felt that the days became routine, yet, she always kept an eye out for anyone who might have been working for the Queen.

One person fell in mind. A man, who wore black, sat in the same corner everyday, not buy or bidding. But he came by, and Alana had noticed on how he would just... watch her. Everywhere she moved, every glance. Yet, she'd never see his face. All the hair was concealed behind a raised jacket collar and hat.

Alana sighed, it didn't matter who this person was. The teen placed her hands on her hips, rocking to the side momentarily before heading into the back for her 'break.' Well, it was never really a break when you were taking care of someone. Alana in no time, was heading towards the grass in the separate to see Hatter up, sitting with the blanket around him and the tea in his hand.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Alana said with a slight sarcastic tone, stepping onto the grass and smiling. She took a seat next to Hatter, her eyes starring at him. He starred back, but, then looked confused,"What did I do?"

"Nothing." She shook her head, laughing a bit at the thought of him and... Ew, Alice. "How are you feeling?"

The con man thought for a moment,"Better and worse."

Alana bit her lip, smiling a bit,"Well, that scares me... You were knocked out, practically ya' know... un-decent."

"Actually, Alice put the boxers on for me and I continued to sleep after we-" Hatter said, his eyes widened as he thought back to the moment. "I remember her feeding me a bottle of lust... she stole it from the casino... She told me, a lot of things. She was here in secrecy, to make sure that I-"

"That she could sleep with you."

"No... and yes. But, there is one thing I want you to here. Something that's actually dangerous. She mentioned you numerous times. More times than anyone should talk about anything... She kept asking about where you were from and why she hasn't seen you before. Even we were- "in the moment", I could have sworn she mentioned your name.... It's a good thing you introduced yourself a Junior Hatter." Hatter nodded, his body showing that he was onto something. Yet, his mood was lightened. He was smiling, his eyes electric with a dull spark.

Alana stood up from the couch, crossing her arms as she turned away from the man,"She will hurt you. You know it. She was just using you, Hatter. You shouldn't trust people so easily."

Hatter tilted his head,"And I should trust you over Alice because?"

The girl glanced back to Hatter, her face pained,"I honestly don't know. But you should have seen how wicked she looked when she left the shop. She just seemed like there was something she wasn't saying."

"No," Hatter replied, his face showing that he was getting fired up,"If I were you, I'd say you were jealous of Alice. That me and Alice have something! You know, like-like..." And as soon as he thought about it, he melted back down into the seat and buried his face into his hand. Alana sighed,"How many times has she done this?"

"This was the first time... She came here because she wanted to know who I was associating with... She apparently had someone here just to see what was going on weekly... She told me it was a woman in a giant fur coat." Hatter explained,"But she won't be coming around anymore. She was too humiliated last time to show her face again."

Alana sucked in a quick breath. No way, thinking back to the main the in jacket. "So the man in the cloak wasn't the spy?"

"What man in a cloak?" Hatter asked, his voice raising in amusement and slight worry.

"T-there was a man... he came to the shop and stood there, watching me for hours on in. He was the first to leave when I call closing, so I never get to greet him, yet, he comes every morning when I don't see and just sits there. He never orders or bids on anything. I was going to say something to him when he got off break but..." Alana's eyes wandered off into the light. Hatter growled,"You need to leave, JH."

"Why do you call me JH?"

Hatter stood up(blanket wrapped around him), wincing a bit as he limped around the room. He grabbed a cane from the corner, showing he was well enough to walk on his hurt foot. He nodded his head, murmuring something to himself as he spun numerous times, as if looking for something,"Because, if someone is spying on us... they can only hear the alias. I don't know what happened between the time I feel asleep and Alice left."

Alana nodded her head,"I see..."

Hatter then said,"Turn around, I'm changing..."

The girl blushed a bit and turned her body around, facing the opposite of Hatter. In a few moments timed, he gave her the okay to turn back around. Alana sighed as she did, finding him shirtless. Even more of a blush. Hatter, surprisingly, had what she called in her world,"A body." She was shocked, for, she thought he was lazy. But no, he was actually toned with a layer of packs, though not defined like some insane people. Alana tried not to stare, but managed to get by unnoticed until Hatter got some clothes on.

"We need to get you out of here... I don't know where, but somewhere. I think I know someone who will take you in, although he is a bit out there, should be a place to stay..." The british tone instructed. "We can't have Alice find you here if she wants to come back. Who knows what kind of army she'll bring."

Alana couldn't even believe he was saying that. Alice really disliked her that much? Well then, Queen would have to deal with this teenager the hard way. Alana did not fear her before, and would not start now.

* * *

  
**So, what do you think? Like it, love it, hate it? Give me your opinions!**** Thanks so much! Read and Review3**


	11. Right Way, Wrong Way

**Yay! Another chapter :3 So, I hope you are all enjoying this story. It brings me pleasure to write it for you all. And, all of your reviews make me smile! Yay :D Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

Within 10 minutes, Alana had on her yellow dress, blue tights, and black shoes. The brunette whisked her hair behind her shoulders. She bent downwards, giving the small man a hug. "Will you ever come back, Junior Hatter?" Dormouse asked softly wrapping his small arms around her. Alana smiled warmly, nodding her head,"I intend to. But, some advice, don't let them bite you. You are now in charge until Hatter or I gets back. So, be strong."

Alana felt a ping of guilt as she said those words. She intended to come back, she wanted to... but the fact of the matter is, was that she probably couldn't. She would miss little Dormouse, for, he will be here with Hatter... Not Junior Hatter. The young girl gave the short man one last hug before she felt something tap her shoulder. Hatter's cane.

"Are you ready?" He asked her, placing the wooden stick back on the ground. Alana turned around, nodding, before patting Dormouse lightly on his head. She then stood up slowly, hugging herself as Hatter walked fourth and gave Dormouse some instructions. As he did, the girl wandered forward. Her body moved towards the open door in the corner of the room, leading into Wonderland. This was how they were leaving.

Alana crossed her arms, leaning against the door as she gazed out into the world in which she was forced to become apart of. The brunette brushed a lock of hair behind her ears, letting the only noise she heard be the soft breathing from her mouth and her pounding heartbeat.

She wanted her grandfather here now, to explain everything to her. Why she was here, what was her purpose? But, he was dead.

"Meow."

Alana gasped, glancing downwards. A gray cat sat there, starring up at her with pleading eyes. The girl bent down onto her knees,"They have cats here, Hatter?" She asked aloud, only to hear the response,"Only one."

The brunette heard Hatter approach her from behind. She peered upwards to hear him say,"Cheshire, how lovely for you to meet us. Alana, go with The Cat. He will be your new escort and host."

Alana's face seemed troubled. "You aren't coming with me?"

"Soon. But like I said, follow The Cat.

It was as if Alana didn't register it the first time. Everything was so weird her, but then she realized and her jaw dropped,"A cat. You want me to follow a cat."

Suddenly, the cat tilted it's head and grinned a large toothy grin. The hair on it's skin spiked up a bit, rustling, and turning a dark purple color before settling down. "Excuse me, Junior Hatter, but, I'm not a cat from _your_ world."

Widened eyes. Alana gaped,"The Cat just talked."

The feline purred a bit, licking it's lips as it's eyes flashed yellow. "Yes, yes, I am Cheshire Cat. I'm taking you away, as a favor to the Mad Hatter. Now, if you will follow me, I will not direct you the wrong way. Or the right way. "

The teens eyes narrowed and Hatter gave a comforting pat on her shoulder,"Don't worry. Just follow him. If you get lost, he'll come back to you. He should be a lap dog." The man laughed, letting the cat claw at him playfully before walking off. "Go!" Hatter exclaimed, shooing out Alana. She smiled a bit, before waving to the con man and following the cat outside the door. She then heard the door behind her shut as she slowly freaked. She almost fell off the edge. But, height wasn't the problem, no. Alana loved roller-coasters and high dives. It's just that falling off the side of a building in a new world didn't seem like a good way to die.

Cheshire wouldn't talk as he moved, but would stop and wait for her to catch up before trotting along ahead. This happened multiple times as Alana followed the feline down paths, through holes in the walls, and into building and then out. Alana could have sworn she had circled these areas before.

"Are we going the right way?" Alana asked, bending down in the entrance small dark tunnel in which she was following the cat. It was drippy, wet and damp as she trudged along. "The right way? The wrong way?" Cheshire shouted happily, his tail swishing back and fourth as he went forward into the hole. Alana sighed and couched downwards, following the cat into the hole. As soon as her body was fully inside, the entrance shut. However, there was also no exit.

Alana pursed her lips,"I want the _right way_, Cat." the girl spat, following along, rolling her eyes at how she knew this cat was tricky.

"But how do you know it's right?" Cheshire responded, trotting.

The teen reached forward and grabbed his tail,"Because, if you were a smart cat and doesn't want to be thrown into the river, I suggest you find the _right_ way. I have the Queen potentially chasing after me, and, I'm not that happiest person at the moment."

The cat's tail disappeared, letting the creature escape Alana's grasp.. It sat in front of her, his tail reappearing,"Why?" He asked in a curious voice.

Alana sighed, putting her hands into her face,"I don't know what I should believe and what I shouldn't. I don't know whether to stay, or leave. I don't even know if I could walk another step of if I would be falling into another world. I just don't know."

"What else?"

"It's like, what I knew is wrong, but right. What I am is wrong and right. And what I want to accomplish is never possible." Alana murmured, peaking out from behind her heads and placing it down by her sides as she bent over.

The cat grinned,"Now I may show you the way that you are looking for."

With a perplexed look she asked,"W-what?"

Cheshire licked his lips,"Questioning is the only way to find the way you need. There is no right way, or wrong way, because the right might be the wrong. When you question, you learn. And you've questioned me, yourself, and now, I may show you the way that you've questioned and want to seek. It's not the right way, but, it's also not the wrong way." His voice was bounding as he stood up and began to walk. Alana's jaw dropped. But then, she laughed to herself, following the cat as she moved her feet along in black circle that surrounded her.

"Nothing is ever as it seems here." Alana whispered. And just then, she saw a light to the tunnel. Her back was aching from crouching down for so long. It was gleaming bright, almost like golden. But, it turned silver as she jumped out of the tunnel to see a person standing there.

Wrinkles brushed her face. Her smile was large, inviting. Her gray hair curled downwards, and her tiny weak body stood there. "Oh Alana."

"GRANDMA!" Alana screamed, jolting forward and pouncing onto the woman. The lady embraced her back, snuggling to her grand-daugther's warm.

"W-what are you doing here? Oh grandma!" Alana cried, releasing Grandma from her grip. The woman smiled warmly, raising a soft hand to cup Alana's smooth face. "I came to meet you, because I heard you were here."

"Yo-you're suppose to be dead though... I don't get it." Alana said aloud, glancing down to the Cat who was smiling. "You found your way now, didn't you?" He said aloud, circling the two.

Grandma smiled widely,"Well, when I died, I had your grandpa insert a looking glass on the roof of my coffin. I never really died, no, it was something he had planned out to get me to Wonderland. I've been living with The Cat for about 2 years now. He is quiet the gentleman!"

Alana giggled,"Is that true, Cheshire? You've been keeping Grandma safe?" She bent down, placing a hand on the cat's purple head. He nodded, jumping up into Alana's arms. The teen held him, smiling as she buried her face into his soft fur.

Yet, she jumped,"Does this mean... Grandpa is here too?"

The old lady grinned, the cat grinned, and in sync, they both nodded. Grandma sighed,"But, he isn't around here. He is somewhere else. He claims he has unfinished business left to do in Wonderland. I'm sure we can meet up with him sooner or later, sweetheart." She shifted slightly, her crystal blue eyes following Alana,"Let's go home for now. I'm sure you've got tons of stories to tell me about your adventures in Wonderland!"

Alana gazed off into the forest like setting around her, watching the trees rustle, hearing the breeze as her Grandmother's voice melting into it. Yeah, things were definitely going to get weirder.

* * *

**I love the Cheshire Cat. They never really included him in the film, which made me KNOW that I needed him to have a bigger part here. Actually, the next chapter has a slight twist of my own version with the Cat. And I can promise you Hatter is NOT gone. Please read and review!**


	12. A New Home

**Chapter 12! Yay! So, just a small warning. The Cat becomes different in this. It's NOT extreme, but, it will be important. So, enjoy!**

* * *

Alana sipped the brown liquid. Green tea. Alana's grandmother had brought it from the real world. Alana remembered for in her will, to be buried with green tea. It was her favorite thing, she told Alana when she was little. She'd always had a cup on her, and now, Alana realized many things. How her grandparents were constantly discreet with their private conversations, how they did things differently.

She had always thought she was just a weird kid, but no, her grandparents knew about Wonderland. Alana was laughing in the warm log cabin like hut. They were in the base of a tree. Surprisingly, it was huge. There was a fire brewing, beds made, and a tiny kitchen. It was an adorable little home that could easily fit Alana in. It was like she was _suppose_ to come here.

Yet, nothing was ever as it seems. Even the Cheshire Cat. As soon as he walked into the house, he instantly morphed. His body grew long and pale, less fury. And before Alana knew it, he appeared like a human. His hair was long, black, ruffled, with a dark purple streak within it. He was lean, lanky almost, with a dark purple shirt that had buckles across the stomach. His pants were black, torn, revealing his pale skin that had dark purple strips on him. All over him body were there strips, leading up to his face where only two laid right underneath his eyes. His eyes were bright yellow as he tilted his head, a bushy black tail with a purple tip erupting from his backside.

Alana gasped, nodding her head as she thought back to her conversation earlier,"Gentleman... right." Her brown eyes were starring at the man, her brain melting slowly. This had to be the biggest shock yet. The cat became a human. "What?" he asked bluntly, moving over to the kitchen counter and pulling out a bottle of calm.

"It's just..."

Grandma laughed,"Oh Cheshire, she hasn't been in Wonderland for that long. And it's getting late. Alana, why don't you tell us what you've been doing?"

The teen was sitting on the couch that had plain cushions for pillows. She leaned into one, meshing her brown locks into her face. Her grandmother stroked her back lightly when Alana spoke,"I came here and really, things just went crazy. I met daisys, tricked Chaos Creation, and then injured Hatter to the point where I had to work for him. He wants me to help lead the revolt."

"Why you?" Grandma asked, her voice becoming concerned,"Alice is a wicked lady, you don't want to get involved."

"Alice already saw me. She actually starred me down and I talked back. She has so many secrets hidden behind that wicked smile." Alana explained, grabbing the pillow and holding it into her lap. The cat took a seat on the floor, his golden eyes becoming interested.

Alana then continued,"She wanted to know who I was, but Hatter only told her my name was JH, Junior Hatter. She came to the Tea Shop unexpectedly."

"Was she with Mad March?" The cat asked.

Alana nodded, and she saw the cat hiss and her Grandmother's eyes narrowed. Something seemed to click in both of their heads. She saw them make eye contact. The cat then stood up and walked to the door of the tree, glancing out momentarily before shutting it, and then, locking it.

What was going on? Grandmother smiled, leaning over and kissing her granddaughters forehead with her soft lips,"No worries. Just precautions."

Precautions? For what? Wasn't she suppose to be safe her? With real no worries? God, if this was how her life was going to be, running away from a Queen that might or might not be chasing her... Might as well get off the topic.

"Why did you know I'd come here?" She asked the old lady, inhaling deeply.

Her Grandmother sighed,"Cheshire said he was off to run an errand to bring someone here. When I asked who, he said Alana, the Junior Hatter who the Mad Hatter asked to bring into his home. I knew, the only person able to come here named Alana would be you. It was a gut feeling that one day you would step through the looking glass and join me and your grandfather."

Alana shook her head,"I intend to go back, Grandma."

"You can't."

"Why?"

"You're too valuable to Wonderland. More than you will ever know. I'll have Grandpa explain everything when he returns. Get ready for bed. It's late and I know we should be having a long day tomorrow. Hatter said you've been training, so, Cheshire will continue with that." Her grandmother explained, her old eyes showing kindness as she leaned forward to kiss Alana's temple lightly.

Alana sighed, it was no use retaliating. She got up from her seat, and Cheshire stood too. "Come, follow me." He told her, grinning a large toothy grin. Her grandmother shoo'ed her to follow, and she did. He lead her out of the room and into a hallway, then, to a small room. It was just like the living room. Cozy, small, seemed almost like a cabin that you'd go camping in. "Thank you, Cat." Alana told the now man.

Cheshire leaned against the door, his tail wrapping around his waist,"Of course!" he then said, standing up straight,"I'll be outside with your grandmother."

Alana nodded her head, giving the smallest smile as she shut the door. Then, after sitting on the bed she began to think about how screwed up her life was. Maybe, if she had talked to Scott longer on that one school day... or maybe if she just ignored that rabbit's screams... she wouldn't be in this mess.

But also, she found her dead grandmother. Now, most would find this creepy, Alana did too, but, she now knew of a world people only dreamed of existing! Well... the old Wonderland that is. With a deep breath the teen fell backwards onto the soft cushion on the bed.

* * *

The cat made his way back to the living room to see Alana's grandmother sitting on the couch with her face in her hands. As if she were crying.. He rocked onto one his and narrowed his cat-like eyes. "When are you going to tell her the truth?" His arms crossed as she lifted her head. Tears were streaming down her face.

The grandma then said with sad eyes,"I just don't know how."

* * *

**I made Cheshire a human! I've always wanted to do that XD! And yes, he has a bigger part in this story. Hopefully, I can work it in well enough. Well, read and review!**


	13. A Visitor

**Hello there everyone! Well, new chapter is up! And for those Cheshire fans, I kinda pictured him as Billy from Tokio Hotel. He kinda has the perfect look for him ^^**

* * *

"You're like a dead animal when you sleep, Junior Hatter." A voice rung loudly into Alana's ears. With a soft mumble and closed eyes, the girl reached her hand up and sluggishly reached out to push whomever was near her, away. Of course, it was so weak as soon as it made impact to the person's chest, it fell limply down and hung off the side of the bed.

"Really, like dead ten times over again." The voice said again. This time, Alana let her her brown eyes flicker open slightly. However, the figure was clear because of one distinctive figure.

A hat.

"Hatter?" Alana whispered, her voice groaning as she began to wake up. Her hand came up to rub her eyes softly as she shifted her in bed, sitting up a bit as the man smiled at her. "In the flesh."

The girl sat up fully, leaning against the headboard. She lifted the blanket to shield any skin from showing to the man. She was still conscious. However, Alana did manage to cuddle with it. "What are you doing here?"

The con man instantly grinned and scratched the bridge of his nose,"Well, I came to see if Cheshire actually led you here. Knowing him, you could have still been wandering depending on his mood."

With a slight shrug, Alana smiled greatly as she instantly remembered something,"Hatter! I have something to tell you! My grandma! She's _here_. With Cheshire!" And then, his eyes narrowed. "Alana, there is no one here _but_ Cheshire. He's been the only one here for ages."

Alana shook her head in disagreement,"No, my grandmother came with Cheshire to get me I... I saw her. I hugged her. She told me that Grandpa was here too, that-"

"You sound mad." Hatter interjected, his face serious.

"And you're one to talk?" Alana hissed, lifting up her blanket and swinging it off her bare legs. She stood up, huffed, and walked right past Hatter and into the hallway. "Cheshire!" The girl called out into the house.

"Over here!" The young voice replied, Alana followed it. Hatter followed Alana.

Alana had walked into what seemed to be a lounge room. The ceiling was black, the walls, were black, and all furniture was bright purple. Inside was Cheshire sprawled all over a couch, his long black hair falling over his lean body. The yellow eyes flicked to the girl,"Need something?" He then sat up and patted next to him, which Alana instantly accepted the invitation.

Hatter then appeared in the doorway, leaning against it as he watched Cheshire and Alana interact.

"Cat, where is my grandma?"

"Who?"

"Grandma..." Alana whispered, staring into the golden eyes with curiosity. They were blank and perplexed, as if they didn't know what Alana was even talking about. "Cheshire, my grandmother, she was just here."

"Alana, no one has been here for ages. You've been my first guest for a while now..." Cheshire explained, tilting his head slightly. Suddenly, his eyes flickered. However, it was almost like a warning of sorts... Alana starred into them, wondering what kind of message Cheshire was trying to send her. The young face sighed a bit, turning away. He then licked his lips and peered at Hatter momentarily.

"She's a bit doozy after last night. You know, when people just... click, things happen. Good things. She must have been so exhausted that she had some crazy dream of sorts..." Cheshire said aloud, glancing to Alana next. Another eye flicker. It was like a light swept across the orb, but, almost automatically planned. What was he doing?

"What did you do that would make her so... doozy." Hatter asked, crossing his arms defensively. Cheshire chuckled,"Would you like me to show you?"

Hatter's eyes narrowed as Cheshire brought Alana's face to his, letting his lips brush her cheekbone and then to her nose. With a gasp, the girl stared at him. It was then Cheshire backed off,"Should I continue or would it be too uncomfortable for you spectators?"

The man almost growled,"Alana, this is what you've been doing. Not even planning a way to escape the Queen!"

Alana took a few seconds to break out of the trance, she once more stared at the last flicker of the eyes. He was telling her to play along. Why? The girl shook her head,"Oh um... we were, you see... going to plan something but of course... I got carried away. I love my new host." Alana blurted, blushing slightly. Suddenly, an arm sinked around her neck, to find Cheshire's face close to hers. He was looking at Hatter, not at her,"Anything else I can help you with?"

Hatter shook his head,"I see she is in... good hands. I'll be back though to make sure she is still sane. Don't feed her anything to make her have... delusions again." He then stood up,"Goodbye, Alana." He said aloud before disappearing. When the door to the house was hear shutting, Alana gasped and shoved the cat-man off her.

"WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT!" Alana cried, her face furious.

Cheshire sighed,"If he knew your grandmother was alive... Things would get bad."

Instantly, it was like Cheshire's magic powers had moved to another being. Slowly, a body formed. Eyes, a mouth, face, nose, and then, a body was appearing. "You were good at being silent!" Cheshire said aloud, clapping a bit.

The Grandmother laughed, taking her bows before moving to the seat on the other side of Alana. The old hand clasped Alana's as she spoke,"As a rule, we can trust no one who has had personal contact with the Queen. It's a rule we live by. I do trust Hatter and he interests. I'm not saying he is a bad person, it's just... We can't-"

"We can't what. We can't WHAT!" Alana shouted, standing up and breaking the hold of her dear Grandmother. "So, if Hatter comes you pull a Houdini and Cheshire becomes some flirting-fiend! Is _that_ your plan to keep me safe?" Alana argued, flailing her arms. Her breath was slightly quicker,"Hatter has been there, given me a job... trained me... He told me about Wonderland. He is a _good_ man."

Cheshire shook his head,"You just don't get it. You can't understand the perplexity of the situation. You'll have to wait a bit before anything makes... sense." His tail came up to tickle his face a bit before he spoke again,"Things... are corrupt here in Wonderland."

The grandmother sighed,"Based off what you said, she'd do anything to kill you because of your relationship with Hatter. But, if we make it seem like you don't have that relationship, then maybe she wouldn't care. That is why Cheshire was so... up front with you."

Alana pursed her lips. She then stomped her foot and shouted,"NO! You guys are so _narrow-minded_. Not everyone is evil and corrupt! Hatter, I know is the only one in this new world who brought me in not because he was told to, but he wanted to help me."

The grandmother looked to Cheshire, and he looked back at the old woman. "We don't believe Hatter to be bad. We believe his friends are."

"That means nothing to me. He is a good friend to me. I want to go talk to him."

"No." They stared at the floor in sync as they spoke, as if thinking of what to do. But, the cat stood up first. He tilted his head as he watched the teenager before suddenly, he was at least 4 times smaller, furry, and a cat.

"What do know, what not to know." The cat said aloud, trotting forward and exiting the room. Alana gave out a slight yell of frustration. This was was so... mad.

* * *

**Wha? More mysteries? God, I keep you guys guess, don't I? So many unsolved secrets. Oh lala :3**

**Read and Review!**


	14. Headache

**So you guys are kinda insane. Like to the limit. I have a certain way of telling me WHEN to update, and seriously, you guys get to the point where I update in a few days. **

**Because of that, you get one more chapter! Yay!**

**

* * *

**

"Hatter! Hatter!" The teenager shouted, running through the hallways of the Cheshire's cat's home. She had just left her Grandmother alone. Her feet moved quickly as she want down different hallways, different doorways, and different passages. But, something was... strange. She didn't need to go through this much effort to get to Cheshire's room before. Getting back should be just as effortless, it was like... she was in a maze.

She ran in a room one. She starred around in colorless walls, the empty feeling the vacant room. Seconds later, she'd leave the room to find that she was in a new hallway with a new arrangement of doors. Alana bit her lip, for she was not panicking. She was just confused. Completely and utterly confused.

This was another task she needed to overcome.

A task she needed to overcome to see Hatter and apologize. She _wanted_ to.

She brushed her brown locked behind her ear before crossing her arms and leaning against the door, which had shut behind her from the previous room. "Lets see... If I go into one room, I get transported somewhere else. If I don't go into a room, I'm stuck."

Alana glanced down the empty lighted hallway. She then tilted her head to the opposite direction. It was the same dimly lit hallway. She sighed a bit, thinking. What way out was there? The girl stared down at her shiny black shoes. Shine. Light.

Where was the light coming from?

Light bulbs. From above. What if... it was like an elevator. Or a bus. With a latch on top? If she can't get out by going through rooms, then, maybe she could get out by _making_ her own way out. Alana tilted her head backwards, so, her face was faced towards the ceiling. "But how to get up there?"

It was true. Alana spent a good 10 minutes trying... and failing, to become spiderman and climb the walls. Her blue tights became slightly worn from being slammed against the ground so many times. As Alana fell, she screamed. Every time. But, it didn't stop her from climbing back up and trying again.

She needed to get out of here.

Alana's body slammed against the ground. "OUCH!" She cried, whimpering as her hand came up to clasp the back of her head. "Oh god." She whispered, falling backwards as she felt herself beginning to slip away.... Such a bad headache.... It started to appear a few minutes ago, but now, it was truly hurting her. She winced curling up into a little ball. She must have fallen 8 or 9 times right now trying to scale the wall. She figured, since she was in Wonderland, that she would have some sort of powers.... or something to make her become something that could crawl up a wall.

"Why can't the wall just come down to me?" She whispered, shutting her eyes. However, she heard something move around her. She instantly sat upwards, for, she could not stand. The ceiling was now literally two inches away from the top of her head. She rolled her eyes,"I should have known." Alana gave off a small laugh, reaching for the long lights that were on the roof of the hallway. She removed the glass cover, gently placing it down before the lights flickered off.

She didn't know who turned them off... but, it was to her advantage because now she could easily remove them. As soon as she did... she smelt fresh air. She peeped her head out of the hole in the ceiling to find herself coming out of the floor of another hallway. However, this was the right hallway. This was the one that led outside.

She could smell the fresh air coming from the open door as she crawled out. She sucked in a tight breath, ignoring the immense pains coming from her head. She managed to pull herself out of the hole and onto the floor of another long hallway. The pains were slightly weakening as Alana walked to the front door, which was... open...

After walking outside, the girl called,"Hatter?"

She continued into the sunny morning, her head whirling. She didn't know how long it too her to get out of the house, but, time had no meaning here. With a wobbled walk, Alana grasped a tree. Her head was spinning. Her hand wandering up to her forehead, holding it slightly as she let go of the tree and moved onwards.

Throbbing. She could feel her head throbbing. It was painful as she shouted out, but still. She needed to see Hatter... she couldn't just let him go off and make him think Alana didn't care about him. Wait. Did she just think that? Alana had no feelings, but of friendship but for Hatter. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder...

No.

Alana gritted her teeth, her knees wobbling. She then gripped another tree branch. Her vision was swirling, everything becoming less visible by the second. Her eyes began to close, she felt like everything was falling down on her. It was like a black fog was suffocating her, pushing her down into the ground. Her knees began to bend, her breaths became long and deep.

"ALANA!"

Her waist was caught. Instantly, she was hauled upwards into the embrace of a familiar scent. Cinnamon. Strong arms help her to a hard chest,"My god, your head is bleeding."

It was Hatter's british accent speaking.

With a blurred vision, the teen peered up to see Hatter's concerned face. "What in the world happened to you? Alana, Alana can you hear me? I'm taking you to get help..."

Her body was then airborne in Hatter's arms as he cradled her bridal style. "I was trying to get to you." Alana said weakly, her arm reaching back to touch the back of her head. When she withdrew it, she saw a sticky red substance over her fingers.

"What would involve you to bleed in order to find me?"

"... cl-limbing a w-a-all." Alana mumbled, breathing labored.

Hatter gave off a small chuckle,"You tried climbing a wall? Where was I and the popcorn at this time?"

Alana huffed a bit as her head slumped against his chest. Her eyes rolled a bit, shutting slowly. She inhaled his scent, her nose mushing against his soft shirt. As her brain began to shut down from blood loss, she began to loose consciousness.

Last thing she said before she drifted away into blackness?

"Hatter... I lik-ke the way you smell.... It's nice."

* * *

**Aw! FINALLY! I got to add some fluff! Yay! I hope you liked it :) This chapter was fun to write. **

**I have a question to ask all of you. Is the story moving too quickly? Would you prefer longer chapters, more indetailed scenes but with more time between updates? Or, do you like a fast paced, shorter chapter, story with quick updates? Please tell me!**

**And, read and review!**


	15. Mad March

**Hey there everyone! So, update! yay! A bit more history shall be revealed. And as you know, I always leave something there to make you think! Actually, within the next 3~4 chapters, some things shall be revealed! Then I'll put in more mystery after the ones I already have are revealed. Mwahaha :D**

**I have an idea. If I get like, lets see, 15 reviews for this chapter or something, I'll do a double update next time I update. And trust me, you want me to double update. Because it's filled of fluff. AND, it leads you one step closer to some of those mysteries that will be revealed in chapter 18~19!**

**Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

_I stared him straight in those black eyes. His head twitched, his body lurched forward._

_It was hard to run away. It was like running was the only option, but, why couldn't I move? It was like a slow movie. I was running as fast as I could, but it was only as fast as a slow walk as the rabbit headed man came up behind me. His cold hands skimmed my shoulders, tracing small rivers down my arms. I shivered, clutching myself as I felt something even colder then his hands touch my neck._

_It was circle, it was hard, it was the barrel of a gun._

_I bit my lip. I then heard the gun cock itself. I screamed, but, I was also thankful to hear a voice to awaken me from the nightmare. _

"_You need to get your priorities straight-!"_

_

* * *

_

"-Why would you even think of putting her through that!" The british voice echoed from the hallways.

"You told me to not let her out of the sight. I was doing what you asked."

"That doesn't mean cage her!"

"It was _not_ a cage!"

The loud bickering was loud and persistent. It wasn't stopping. It was so annoying, so loud. It was like the two voices, a british one and a more taunting one, were battling it out. Alana's eyes found it hard to stay shut, and when opened, found an instant striking pain that made her her gap. Her hand reached up to touch a white bandage wrapped around her head. She also found herself in her bed at Cheshire's.

She gulped a bit, choosing to end whatever argument was going on... no one needed to fight. She was the careless one. She kept trying to do the impossible. Cheshire was doing his job. She was going against Hatter's orders and the Cat's rule over her.

Alana managed to lift up the blankets and sit up. Her back was aching and her head was feeling ten times better. She slowly moved her legs to the floor, then off the bed and to the doorway, slowly.

Aching pain. God, her back and legs grew sore. Her head, most of all, had the slight pains it had before, but to a much more minor degree. Her hand clutched the door-frame as she moved out of the room, and then, went into the halls. She stumbled, but caught herself with her hands on the walls. She gritted her teeth tightly as the soreness.

Leaning against it was smart, for Alana was successfully able to maneuver down the hallway and into the small living room where a angered Hatter and innocent Cheshire stood. They argued a bit longer before she was even noticed.

"You just don't get it do you. You can't have her walk around bleeding! What if she died?" Hatter sneered, his eyes narrowing as his arms flailed. His face was angry, and his body language showed that he was anything but accepting Cheshire's excuses.

Cheshire licked his lips curiously,"She wouldn't die."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Because."

Hatter shook his head,"What do you know that I don't."

"A lot of things." The sly man sneered, his golden eyes flickering over to Alana. The girl gave a meek smile, raising her hand, waving it, and shrugging her shoulders. "Hi."

This small innocent act couldn't help but make the two men smile a bit. Cheshire fell backwards onto a chair that happened to be behind him, as Hatter moved over to Alana.

Gently, he wrapped his arms around her waist for support, for she seemed to be grasping the wall for dear life. AHe then looked down to her and and said,"On the count of three."

Alana simply nodded, turning her head away to hid her miniature blush. His face was too close to hers, her words meaningless here. She was like a newborn and couldn't walk. God, but Hatted _needed_ to keep his distance from her. She glanced to him.

"One." Hatter began, his cool breath brushing her cheeks.

"Two." The teen whispered.

"Three!" cheered Cheshire from his seat, his black tail whipping about.

It was then the wall was released and Alana carefully began to walk with the help of Hatter's strong arms tightly around her. He then moved the girl over to a nearby couch, sitting with her as he carefully set her down. "Why are you up? It's bad for you to be walking around in your condition. You might start the bleeding again." Cheshire asked first, leaning forward a bit as he watched the girl.

"Well... I couldn't stay asleep." She then frowned, her eyes glancing to Hatter and then Cheshire. "I-" Should she mention the nightmare? No. "- Heard lots of talking..."

The cat shook his head and Hatter huffed, thinking back to their argument momentarily before retuning to the current conversation. Hatter then spoke,"Your head injury wasn't bad. It was just bleeding. A lot. That's all. You'll be perfectly fine soon."

Alana attempted to nod her head, but gasped from the sharp stinging. "Ack." She whispered, falling back into the couch as her hand reached up to touch the back of her head, her fingers brushing the white bandage, and pull it away immediately. "I'm fine..." She said aloud as Hatter's hand reached forward in an attempt to aid her. Yet, he then snatched it back, sighing at his helplessness to her condition.

The teen inhaled deeply,"I want to know one thing though..."

"Yes?" The two men replied simultaneously.

In complete seriousness, Alana asked,"Who _is _Mad March?"

Hatter instantly replied the question,"What?! Why do you want to know who _he_ is." It was like it hit something in him. Like a pained subject that should not be talked about. Cheshire gave off a cool chuckle, his black hair falling behind his shoulders.

"Mad March and Mad Hatter. Used to be one _hell_ of a team!" Cheshire said aloud, his tail flicking around his waist.

Hatter glared at the cat. He wanted to make cat-stew for dinner. It seemed as if there were no way around to avoid Alana's question. So, after a moment of thinking, Hatter said,"He was my old partner in crime before Alice came to power. About a 5 years before Alice came, Mad March was my partner. We'd work together, run the shop together, but, the original Queen of Hearts found his nose rather useful, like a watchdog. She used him to track down people who went against the war, caterpillar in particular. But, he betrayed her. She cut off his head. But, then she revived him to hunt down the Stone of Wonderland in the time of Jack Heart."

"Stone of Wonderland?" Alana repeated, her eyes narrowing as she thought back to one of her first legitimate conversations with the con man,"I think you told me about that."

Hatter nodded his head,"Things are going crazy without it. Madness, really. Even I could loose my 'Mad' title to Alice. Mad Alice. Should be her new name. She rampages everywhere, sending out warriors into your world. No one has found it. We don't know where it's been all these years. And at this rate, everything will collapse."

"Well, why don't you just all come to my world?" Alana asked,"I mean, if your world is being destroyed... there can't be much of you left. So, just use the rest of those fake stones of Wonderland to get through the looking glass... Problem solved."

Cheshire cackled,"As if _Alice_ would settle for loosing."

Hatter agreed,"She's obsessed with it. She knows she was the last to have it before it disappeared. That much I know. So, she feels it's her obligation."

Alana bit her lip, her hands touching the white cloth wrapped around her head,"I see..."

Cheshire grinned,"But don't worry. No one knows _where_ it is. And, there are no leads as to where. It's actually perfect. Finally, this long reign of 'pearl emotions' can stop. Maybe, we'd get back to the old Wonderland..."

Hatter instantly smiled,"My father was part of the old Wonderland. He knew the first Alice. I could remember his stories on how he sung her songs with his own Mad March and gave her tea. Real tea. And had un-birthday parties. There were singing flowers and talking doorknobs and-"

"I know the story." Alana laughed,"I kinda presumed you were related."

The face of the con man lit up. He shrugged a bit. Cheshire then added on,"Cat's who just... disappear!"

It was then that the tail of the man vanished from around his waist. The body of Cheshire began to fade away, his eyes, and then, his smile. It left just a plain chair, sitting there with no one occupying it. Alana glanced to Hatter,"I still can't get used to that."

Hatter nodded his head and raised an eyebrow,"Well, it's about time you got used to Wonderland."

"Why?"

"Because, I have the feeling _you_ are going to be the cause of the next revolution."

* * *

**Revolution?**

**Uh-oh.**

**Read and Review!**


	16. A Triumphant Return?

**Hey there everyone :)**

**I've been kinda sick, and had TONS of mid-terms this week(5) and I still have one tomorrow. So, just to give you guys something to read for the rest of the few days until I get something up posted ^_^**

**(WOW. 16 CHAPTERS. Wholly guacamole!)

* * *

**

About 4 days passed.

_Day 1:_ Alana had slept in most of the day, due to head-aches. Hatter had left and had not returned. Cheshire stayed at the end of Alana's bed, curled up like the little cute cat he could be and watched her silently as she slept.

_Day 2: _Cheshire was found snuggling up against Alana's chest and into the crook of her neck as she slept. When she awoke, she seemed startled. Hatter did not appear on day two. So, Alana took the chance to spend some time with her grandmother. Her grandmother, of course, was very kind to Alana and taught her how to cook in case she couldn't be around.

_Day 3: _Alana had successfully cracked an egg without getting the shell in the yolk. Her wound was practically gone, only for a few small scabs. Grandma had treated them, and therefore, healed much quicker. Cheshire tended to snuggle up with his small cat body against Alana as Grandma told the girl stories of the old Wonderland. No Hatter.

_Day 4:_ Cheshire had finally become a human again. He went 3 days straight being strictly cat. And into day 4, he managed to be the one to talk to Alana. All day. He told her how he disappears, his thoughts, yet he never mentioned to Alana on how he would sleep with her every-night after she's fast asleep. Hatter doesn't even deserve to be mentioned.

And now, _Present Day._

Alana sniffled a bit. Her head was fully healed. No cuts, nothing. It was like a miracle was saving her and healing her to the point where she didn't even need help walking. Rather, she felt as if she could run a mile and still be alright. Of course, she never added in the factor of falling and tripping.

Yeah she was crazy.

Alana would _never_ run for her life. She hated track, she hated running, she hated the idea of running, and most of all, she hated running the deadly mile in gym. She could swear the teachers are attempting to murder all of the students.... Except for Scott. He'd run that mile so quickly. Come to think of it, she hadn't thought of Scott for the past week. She had been in Wonderland for a week now. Maybe a bit more?

Truth was, Alana didn't know _how_ long she's been here. Maybe it was two weeks... or even three. Time was something that they didn't keep. If Alana was smart enough to use the White Rabbit's watch from the beginning... Then maybe she'd know the time. But she didn't.

She lied back onto the couch, grinning as Cheshire sat down next to her. The girl felt her head lifted and placed on a lap. A laugh escaped her throat as she starred up into those golden eyes. His soft cheeks tilted upwards, forming a smile as he said aloud,"I want to know about your home. You never talk about it. You only want to know about here, Wonderland, and to be perfectly honest with you, I choose to not hear about it."

"Why is that?"

"Many things lost here. Nothing much gained. It's not Wonderful." Cheshire whispered as Alana's eyes narrowed. "Well," the girl began,"there are no special abilities. Everyone is normal, human. We basically go to a place called school, where we learn things, then go home and work. Then, we sleep, wake up, and do it again."

"Sounds boring."

"You have no idea." Alana whispered, her eyes wandering off. Cheshire purred a bit, his long black hair floating over his shoulders,"I wonder. If I went there. Would things be how they are now? Would things be not as they seem if someone from Wonderland come in?"

Alana instantly shot up from her laying position. Her body jumped onto Cheshire, embracing him into a hug. His arms grabbed her waist, steading her. Alana rested her chin on his shoulder, grinning as she said,"Would you want to come back with me when I return to my own world?"

Cheshire pulled Alana away from him, his golden eyes seemed to smile,"Would I like that? I would. Yet, it would be strange."

"Strange is the new awesome. Don't worry about it." Alana said aloud, her face so bright from the proposal. Her white teeth flashed,"Oh it'd be so cool if you came back with me... it'd be like, having a piece of Wonderland with me wherever I go. A good piece."

Cheshire opened his mouth to answer when-

"Knock knock."

Alana turned around, her un-bandaged hair flicking behind her as she stood up. "Hatter!" She cried, running forward and instantly hugging the man who was in the entrance of the door. Her arms tightly wound around his waist, as if to never let him go. "Where have you been for 4 days? I-I got worried." Alana smiled up to the man, her face enlightened.

Cheshire seemed rather annoyed as he stood up,"Yes, where _were you_ for 4 full days. Not even a contact."

The teen sent a sharp glare to Cheshire, her eyes narrowing,"Well we will have to wait to see, now won't we."

Hatter chuckled and almost pet her head. It was that moment when Alana realized something. Something that she had strangely just noticed.

Hatter's mood... was happy. He was smiling laughing, and it seemed to Alana that he was enjoying himself and life how it is. It was as if Alice meant nothing to him as his fingers lingered on Alana's cheek, tracing down from patting her head. She could tell he was... happy. It didn't make sense. He was suppose to be moody and grumpy, like one of those 7 dwarfs.

The con man sighed a bit,"I was off going to the Hat Shop to check on Doormie. Apparently, the mystery figure that was spying on Alana here has disappeared. I don't know where he's gone, but, I have a feeling he had an idea of Alana, and not for the sake of her well-being." Yet, as his uprising mood kept on shining he spoke,"It means we can keep on training. Starting tomorrow, because you seem well enough."

Cheshire denied,"No. She just finished the healing process. It would only hurt her." The cat like man wandered over to the door, where Hatter and Alana were standing. It was almost instinct when Cheshire put out his arm in front of Alana, protectively,"I said no."

Hatter looked away, grinning,"Cat, you need to really take some chill pills."

"What?"

"Term used in Alana's world," Hatter snuffed,"Now, she is perfectly capable of training. There is no sign of her injuries and I know that you kinda are going a bit overboard on this protecting business." The man laughed, placing his hands on his hips. He then raised a finger and placed in on Alana's nose. "What do you think?"

Alana blushed, which Cheshire saw. His teeth gritted as his golden eyes glared at Hatter,"If you hurt her, you'll be breaking your own promise. I keep promises. Which means I'll watch her from even you. Got it?"

It was strange. At that moment, Alana shook her head to Hatter,"If we train, you'll have to be careful. I wouldn't want your eyes clawed out." This earned a toothy grin from the Cat as he whirled around,"I think we have an agreement then."

Hatter was dumbstruck, and Alana was poking his cheek because she thought he looked funny. She used to do this to Scott and a few of her friends to piss them off... Hatters cheeks... They were so... soft. They we... _inviting.

* * *

_

**Ta da! A chapter of fluff, from a few different pairings. Tell me which one you like. HatterxAlana CheshirexAlana, and for the hell of it, CheshirexHatter XD! Depending on which ways the votes favor depend on what will happen for the rest of the story!**

**Also~ On that 15 review thing, it will count for every chapter. Like, if chapter 17 gets 15 reviews I'll put 18 and 19 up. But, chapter 19 with 15 reviews will NOT get a double update. It's like, 2 chapters, then 1 chapter, then 2 chapters, kinda thing. **

**Anyways, please Read and Review(and vote!)**


	17. A Set Up

**I decided to move the plot along, and the big surprise in Chapter 18? Yeah, it's coming now. Yes. I said it. **_**Now**_**. :) Lucky you!**

**My reasoning is this. The story is going to become a bit more involved and slightly faster moving. Also, it's going to take me a bit longer to update, since school has started up again. So, because of making you wait a bit longer than usual, and my urge to move the story along, you are getting more in this chapter.**

**I am telling you now. This chapter, is a shocker.**

**

* * *

**

"Bring your arm up a bit."

"Like this?"

"No no, that's the mistake you made last time."

"Then like... THIS!" Alana shouted triumphantly, her dark eyes glimmering as she held her arm at the perfect angle, Hatter studying her body position throughly. He was emotionless for a moment, but then, it lit up. "Perfect." He said aloud, moving up to her. His body brushed her chest slightly, gazing down at the girl,"Now I want you to..."

His voice grew husky, his brown orbs staring into his... like something clicked. Alana smiled a bit, and when she felt the redness appear on her face, she instantly turned away to face the wall. "What do you want me to do." She said rather coldly, as if trying to put off her body's reaction to male touch.

"Something along the lines of this." Hatter replied, his voice growing back into it's normal state as he backed up. Alana then changed her gaze to stare back at him, once he was far enough away... She couldn't do anything with him. Alana could tell her body _wanted_ to do something, but she just couldn't.

Even if her heart fluttered every time his scent tickled her nose, she just could not do it.

The Hatter stepped, turned, did a small kick with his left and then chopped down with his right. Alana stood there, jaw dropped. "Yeah, do you remember what happened last time you told me to do that. I think I'll stick with the baby punches." She laughed, scratching the back of her head and looking at him rather skeptically. The man sighed a bit, walking over to the table where his hat was laying. He choose that wearing a hat would cause it to fling off, so, his hat hair would have to do for the time being.

Alana stood there as Hatter moved to her side,"So if you don't want to train, then, what would you like to do?"

She had to actually think of a response to this question. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced around the room. What to do. What to do? What do do in a crazy house.

"Explore!" She shouted with enthusiasm.

Hatter seemed rather perplexed. Explore?

"Why explore?"

"Because. Last time I explored, I almost killed myself from a head injury. This time, I'll have common sense because I had the Mad Hatter with me." Alana ironically spoke, the smile pulling at the corner of her cheeks.

With a glance around the living room, Hatter reluctantly agreed,"Fine." And placed his hat on his head.

* * *

It seemed like wandering around would be a pointless feat. Alana seemed to trip over, well nothing numerous times. Walking on flat ground was a difficult task for her athletic capability. Meanwhile, Hatter's gaze was constantly on her. Whether she was laughing, rubbing her but from an impact with a floor, or simply walking silently. It was like he was glue to her.

They were in a long white hallway with dark black carpeting. There were no doors, the lights were the same as the first time she had experienced this hallway, but mainly, there was no escape. And both knew if they walked back, the same door they came in wouldn't be there

Alana glanced up as she walking, staring back at Hatter. He looked back. "Do I have something on my face?" she asked curiosity, her hand reaching up to brush her cheek.

"No, I'm just finding your eyes rather fascinating?"

"Fascinating." Alana said bluntly, the dryness coming out of her tone.

Hatter nodded his head,"They are so dark, yet if you stare at them long enough, you see everything. Every little line and every little fleck. But, you have to take the time to notice it, and when I did, I found it to be hypnotizing." Alana shifted her vision to in front of her, smiling a bit,"Ah, thank you." She simply replied, her body nervously hugging herself.

With a chuckle, the man said,"I think I've found something." Alana stopped walking to whirl around. Hatter had found a door. The girl pranced over to stand by his side, opening it slowly. An attic?

Behind the door was a large wooden staircase, climbing up into a black obis in where no light shone. A shiver ran down Alana's spine. She shook her head,"You've past madness if you go up there."

Hatter gave her a puppy face, and then a 'scaredy cat' face. "Don't be a Cheshire," He insulted, moving forward. "You can come, or stay there. Alone."

Alana yelped,"No no. You need to stop Hatter!" She cried, watching him ascend the stairs. "I won't come! No! Not me! You can't force me to do anything!" And then, when he got higher, a nervous scream came from Alana as she jolted up the stairs to touch Hatter's arm. "Don't you dare leave me alone like that." She almost hissed. Hatter patted her head softly,"I wouldn't leave you down there. Your just afraid of the dark."

"A tad bit..." Alana whispered, her voice getting lower. "Hatter." She said, her voice barely audible.

"What?" He responded, his voice full volume. "Why are you whispering?"

Alana gave a nervous laugh,"I-I don't know," returning to normal levels of tone,"I guess darkness is associated with whispering. Slap me if I do it again."

"Or break your toe."

Alana grinned,"Or give me a bloody head."

"Or run the tea shop."

"Or bitch off a lady."

The small game between then continued for only a few seconds, until they reached level ground. Hatter said aloud,"Wait here. Don't move. I'm finding a light." He told her in the darkness. Alana gave off a low growl,"Fine. But if the boogyman comes and eats me, I'll tell him you are next on the list."

"I can't wait." He said sadistically, his body disappearing from the air around her.

Alana felt herself chill as she was alone in the darkness. However, the feeling soon drifted away as a small warm came up behind her. Hatter, in his hand, had a lit candle. "I found it. And, there should be some lights up in here. Come."

He said softly, his hand brushing up against Alana's wrist lightly before locking his thumb and pointer finger around it, leading it further onto the floors. In seconds, there was a click. And then, the lightly slowly flickered on.

Hatter instantly dropped the candle on the floor, it's flames going out on the impact. He stared at someone whom he did not know was in the darkness before. Alana didn't either.

Someone else was in the room.

Shock seemed to attack Hatter in every way possible. "No way." He whispered, his body almost shaking. And then, he jolted for the stairs. He left Alana. He then, disappeared.

The girl glared at the figure,"Grandma. What's wrong with you? Just one look and he goes hay-wire!"

Alana's Grandmother's face was that of Hatter's shock. "This is bad." She whispered, her heart thumping. The girl's eyes narrowed. What was bad? The small girl moved forward, shaking her head,"I don't know why you would think he would do something."

The grandmother's face was nothing but of pure perplexity. Alana shook her head slowly, her hands forming into fists,"You don't understand, Hatter is not a bad person!"

"Alana, you don't know-"

"What don't I know?" Alana fired back, her body language was that of a tiger. "I know enough to think that you judge people too easily."

"And you too lightly..." Grandma whispered, her crystal eyes reflecting shame,"You should know better then to wander the house."

"You should know better than to hid secrets from your Granddaughter." Alana yelled, her teenage hormones for fighting, kicking in. "You know, grandma's are suppose to be kind, caring, and understanding because they are wise. But you! You are more like a mother than a grandmother! You question me and disbelieve everything I try to say and do!"

The grandmother's face seemed to morph into sympathy. She sighed a bit, shaking her head,"You are in a far far different world than you know, Alana."

Alana pursed her lips, her nose scrunching as she stomped her foot. No more was said as she ran out of the attic like room and down the stairs. She had to go find Hatter, once more.

She ran through the halls, and surprisingly, found the same door she came in to be open. Cheshire not up to his old tricks? Alana shook her head as she climbed into the living room, only to see the front door to the house open as well.

Where was Hatter going?

It didn't matter... He was probably in shock... for some odd reason. Alana kept running, out the front door and into the forest around her. She whirled around, her dark eyes looking for any sign of movement. Everything was green, unmoving. Everything was still as the wind didn't even rustle the trees. No noise. No movement. There was nothing, but one.

White hair.

Alana's eyes widened. She chased it instantly. It was like the instinct hit her as it disappeared through the bushes. Was it the boy? And then, as she moved, she discovered her assumption was correct. The boy, the boy from the beginning with the golden watch, was there. He was moving so quickly, appearing fine. But, Alana had his clock on her. She never put it down.

"Wait!" Alana cried, chasing after him. The brunette had to keep up the pace, her own body getting weary and tired from running so much. She couldn't run anymore. And when she slowed down to catch her breath, the boy then stopped in a clearing just up ahead. Alana tilted her head as she carefully moved forward, as if to not frighten him. As she approached him, his big blue eyes stared up at her. Alana bent down on one knee, a smile large on her face.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." Alana laughed, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a golden watch. She handed it to the boy,"I've been meaning to give it back to you. How is your leg?"

Yet, she didn't get the answer she wanted. He watched her face for a good second, his own filled with concern. "Run." He muttered, his expression turning into horror as men in black suits appeared from out of the bushes, from behind trees and in them as well. Alana jolted up to her feet as she watched the scene flicker by.

The men moved forward, surrounding Alana in every possible direction. The boy then stood up, and moved to a man who seemed like an even older version of him. He was tall, white hair in pigtails, and he did not seem happy. The little boy's face was sad,"I'm sorry." He whispered.

Alana's face was in shock as she felt the men closing in on her. She was so tired... she wouldn't be able to escape them if she tried. But, why were the Suits trying to get her?

Well, when her arms were suddenly grasped and held tightly, by two of the Suits Alana knew she was in trouble for something. The golden watch fell to the ground. She couldn't move, she couldn't even speak because of how baffled she was. Everything then went so fast... Like a blur. Out of a crowd of suits came none other than Mad March.

The rabbit walked up to her, his head twitching. He gave her a dark, ominous stare before he spoke. Alana could only hang her jaw open in pure shock as his mechanical lips uttered, "Junior Hatter, you are hereby held prisoner of Queen Alice of Wonderland for possession of the Stone of Wonderland."

* * *

**I TOLD YOU.**

**It's a shocker? Yes, no? I thought it was. Because next chapter has an even big of a shocker. Da da dunnnn. Chapter 18 is going to be a fun one~**

**But, if you don't read and review, then, who knows, maybe I just won't write it ;D**

**Naw, I'm kidding. But, reviews make me happy. Yay, happy authors!**


	18. Interrogation

**GUYS! I am _so_ sorry for the long wait. I had way too much on my plate, and honestly, I didn't even have time to write up a chapter. BUT! I have one now for yo and that's all that matters, right? I hope you like it. Two shocks in this one!

* * *

**

I honestly couldn't even tell you all what happened on my journey back to the Hearts Casino. It was like a giant black whirlpool that absorbed everything that was seen, heard, or felt during the course of the trip. In fact, the trip was very rough. As my eye fluttered around to see a small glimpse of the world around me, I knew I was in a living hell.

Guns by everyone's side. My arms and my body being dragged by the men. A gun point held to my back. Basically, they were dragging me. I felt tired, but, not hurt. They had not injured me yet. I could see the trees and the forest disappear around me.

The last thing I saw before I eyes shut for the last time, was Cheshire in his cat form in the bushes, watching me leave.

* * *

Alana's exhausted body was thrown onto the floor. Her dark eyes came in contact with a red carpet, locking with the color. She knew where she was.

The girl lifted her head as much as she could upwards, only to come face to face with Alice. The Queen stared down with power as she sat at her throne, a smirk on her face as the devil horns, in Alana's mind, rose up from her long brown hair.

With as much strength as the teen could, she stood up onto her feet. Her body whirled around her to see guards everywhere, armed. Yet, that didn't shock her. What did, was when Alice called,"Honey? I'm thirsty."

"Yes my dear!" A voice rung.

Alana's jaw dropped as someone in a red suit came running into the room. He had on a red hat, covering matted hair as well as a nervous smile on his lips as he brought a cup up water up to meet Alice's soft lips. "Thank you."

"Hatter." Alana said aloud, watching the Mad Hatter bend down onto one knee next to the throne, honoring his queen. Hatter... was with Alice? He was bowing to the girl, giving her drinks so she wouldn't be thirsty... he was, waiting on her hand and foot like the _queen_ that she was.

The man twisted his head to watch Alana's face carefully. It seemed as if pain swept over his face as he saw her. Alice of course, saw this and began,"Hatter, will you tell Junior Hatter about your plan against her?"

Silence.

"Are you sure about that?"

Silence.

"Then I will explain. When I saw Hatter at his shop, I basically set up a small plan. I would make him my king, if, he were to do as I say. I told him I would return, and that is when he shipped you off to keep you safe. Little did he know that Mad March had already found a reason to take you prisoner. So, after you left I made a deal with Hatter. If he would lead me to where you were, then, I would bring him into power."

Wide brown eyes.

"And he did," Alice chimed,"He led me directly to you, Junior Hatter. And, the white rabbit's son had mentioned you at a meeting, and, he became the perfect bait as well. You are to soft, Junior Hatter." The woman clapped her hands together joyfully, her smile triumphant.

The small girl shivered a bit, her hands coming up to hug herself. Alana stared down at the floor. Hatter... was always against her? The fact that she had... let him into her life... and he... did this? Hatter had betrayed her.

Fire rose up within her chest. Burning.

"No way...." Alana whispered in realization, moving her head up to glare at Hatter,"You lying little bastard." She hissed, feeling remorse for ever letting her guard down and him into her life. Her hands flung down to her sides as she bit her lip. Her hands grew into fists, the knuckles whitening at the tension she put into it. With another bark she howled,"You _liar!"_

Before Hatter could even respond, Alice spoke,"And you are a traitor and a thief."

"How so?" Alana snapped, her face showing pure fury.

"Mad March, after leaving the Tea shop, had claimed he detected the Stone of Wonderland on you. You have our prized jewel, something you have clearly stolen." Alice said aloud, booming as she stood up carefully. Hatter didn't move as the girl descended the steps to where Alana was standing.

"You have the ring. Give it to me." Alice sneered, now on the carpet.

"If I had it, I wouldn't even."

"So you don't have it?" Alice asked, slight confusion brushing upon her face. She cocked her head, a small innocent look on her face when Mad March said aloud,"Is it on a necklace around her neck?"

Alice's eyes narrowed,"Why a necklace, Mad March?"

"My calculations says it's lodged near her chest." Mad March continued, on the side of the throne opposite of Hatter. Alice reached her hand forward and grabbed Alana's neck tightly. Her hand slivered into the rim of Alana's dress feeling for a necklace.

"Nothing." The Queen said aloud, her lips forming into a narrow line.

Alana flinched a bit. The grip was so tight... she could barely breathe. With a small gasp of air, Alice's face morphed. "Mad March, your wrong. Go check your math again. This girl is weak, has nothing to her. I will kill her with my bare hands. She is nothing, I repeat, nothing."

Kill her? Was she going to die right there, staring into Alice's stone blue eyes. She croaked a bit. The vision seemed to blur a bit.

But, something stopped Alice. A large noise. The door to the throne room opened. The Queen froze in her spot, and then, her grip loosened to where Alana fell on the ground. She gasped for air, touching her throat lightly. When she regained herself, the teen slowly looked up to see Alice's face in pure and utter shock. Her vision was faced to the entrance of the door.

The room seemed to gasp with her.

"Jack Heart." She said aloud, her voice wispy.

JACK HEART! The Prince! The noble Prince from her grandfather's story! Was he here to help her? Would she get to meet the great man? Alana whirled around on her hands and knees, but too, managed to find herself frozen as she made eye contact with Jack Heart.

Alana's mouth hung open as she stared at Jack Heart, then saying aloud,"W-why are you s-so young, Grandpa?"

* * *

**Did you really just find who Alana's grandfather is? Yes? Is he really her grandfather? Still more surprises coming your way! Please read and review3**


	19. Saved

**I've been so bad with updated DX I've literally had this chapter written up for days, yet, I never found the time to post it. Well, now you have it! Enjoy!!!**

* * *

Shocked. Her grandfather... He looked... so young.

His hair was blond, his eyes a crystalized green. His face was strong with no sign of a wrinkle. There was no sign that he had ever aged. Yet, Alana knew it was her grandfather, simply because of the way he held himself. His posture, his emotional face... This was her grandfather. Yet, why was he here? And why was he.... Jack Heart?

"Alice," Jack began, placing his hands into his pock. He stared at her menacingly,"I would let the my granddaughter go."

Almost instantly, a grown escaped Alice's lips as she cried,"GUARDS!"

Suits from around the room ran inwards towards Jack. They raised their weapons to point at him, only to find him to snap his fingers. From behind him, more suits came running in, backs towards Jack and weapons at the other guards. These new suits were protecting him. "I made alliances and friends before I left, your highness." Jack said rather smug, glancing around at the men who were using their lives to protect him. It was also apparent that the guards who were under the control of Alice, would have a hard time shooting their friends. "How did you think I would get in so easily? I'm not as good as _infiltrating_ a system like you are."

The Queen winced, her eyes narrowing at the cruel statement. The statement, had two meanings. One, one how easily she was able to enter the Hearts Casino way back before her reign and corruption. And also, how she entered the royal hierarchy of Wonderland through manipulation.

Jack sighed, walking forward with no trouble from either sides of the guards. No one wanted to kill him. No one but two people in the room. Alice... and Hatter.

"Ah, Hatter, I knew you were too weak to stay away from the girl." Jack said harshly, his tone filled of spite.

Hatter almost instantly moved forward on his feet. His grin was cocky,"And you couldn't keep a girl in her place if you _tried_."

"At least I'm not played for a fool."

And then, the grin faded. Shit. Hatter froze, bitting his tongue so he would not speak again. His eyes flickered to Alana who was still watching her grandfather in awe. No wonder she hated him. She was related to Jack Heart. She was not an oyster. But then, why did she come through the Looking Glass? What was she doing back in the other world?

"Alice, I say this with truth. No guard here wants to kill me. Rather, there is more of a chance that they would like to kill you. Give me my granddaughter, and I will be on my way. She is all I ask for." Jack said aloud, advancing.

With a large swing, Alice grasped Alana's hair tightly, pulling the girl up to stand. Alana cried out from the pain,"I would never give you her... She has the Stone of Wonderland."

Jack laughed,"You are right. She does have it. But she doesn't know where. She also does not know how to get it. She is useless to you, for she has no knowledge of where the ring is. I do. I know where it is, and I can assure you, that it is impossible for you to retrieve it."

Alice's face scrunched, her lips pursing. She stared at Jack with utter hate,"You tell me where it is, she stays alive." At that moment, Alice's hands griped around Alana's neck tightly, holding her there.

"If you kill her, then you will never get it." Jack fired back.

"And you will loose your granddaughter."

"As well as you loosing your throne. The people here only fight for you because of the past. They have no reason to fight for you know. In instants, I can turn your whole guard against you. Do you like your power, Queen Alice?" His voice almost sang.

A tighter grip. Alana let out a light squeal as the cobra-like hands began to strangle her. Hatter at this moment turned around. His hand lightly fell on his forehead as he would not look at the scene. Alice did too, notice this. Why would he not look at her killing Junior Hatter? The woman's face became slightly distorted, one more, letting her hands tighten around her neck.

"More people here are for killing you, then there are people for killing me. Would you really spoil your chances of getting the stone by strangling a 15 year old girl?" Jack Heart said, his legs moving towards Alice.

The Queen seemed to almost hiss at his approach. Alana's hands came up to cup Alice's hands around her neck. What to do? What to do?!?!

She was a smart girl... she knew she was. How do you get out of this situation? Alana noticed Hatter's back, and then... glanced downwards to see his foot. _His foot_. It was almost like that that Alana's leg came up and then smashed down as hard as she could onto Alice's foot. It was also noted that Alana's shoes had _heels_.

It was then, that Alice howled and had her grip released on Alana's neck. The girl lunged forward onto Jack Heart, breathing heavily. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders calmly,"Good job." He whispered, his eyes watching his own guards now pointing their guns at Alice. Alice's guards were point their guns at Alice. All 25 men were pointing their gun at Alice. Jack Heart had officially taken over the room.

"Now that I have my granddaughter, I will leave. I am taking your guards, as well as my own. It was nice to see you again, Alice." Jack said rather coldly.

It was hard to believe that Jack's presence alone was able to turn Alice's guards against her. It was hard to believe that so easily, that Jack could cause a war with just being there. It was the sign of true loyalty. It was the sign of the true king of Wonderland.

Jack smiled down to Alana, letting her regain her breath. "Cheshire." Jack said aloud. A man then walked in, his long raven hair and yellow flickering eyes. He moved to Alana, the cat like man. And then, Cheshire barred his sharped feline teeth at both Hatter and Alice. He glared at Hatter,"I knew you were no good."

Hatter seemed almost hurt by these words as the man took Alana from Jack and hauled her up into his arms. Was she tired, hurt, injured? Jack smiled a bit to Cheshire,"He always was no good." The man placed a hand on Cheshire's shoulder before leading the way out. The Cheshire, and then the guards from the room.

Alice and Hatter were alone.

* * *

**Like it? Yes? No? What is your opinion on Jack being Alana's grandfather? What do YOU think will happen? Because I do. And it's a bit crazy. Read and Review!**


	20. Dark Tunnel

**Yay for another update! So guys. I've noticed the review count. 100 reviews. Oh my goodness gracious. I can't thank any of you guys enough for making this story such a huge success! It makes me feel like you really do like this story and I'm not a complete lunatic for writing crazy, twisted, and utterly insane plots.**

**So, for this celebration, I made this chapter a bit longer. Normally, also, I'd include one surprise per chapter. But because of the 100 review mark, you are getting... TWO!**

**Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

Alana groaned. Her throat hurt. Bad.

It was like a cobra, twisting tightly around her pathway of air. Breathing was no longer an option. Fainting and dying, was. What in the world could she do... What did she do? She, or someone, must have done something, because on, air started to re-enter her body, lungs, and slowly bring her back to life.

The small girl let out another grumble from her inner throat, her face snuggling into some sort of hard feature. Alana's hand reached up to brush the object, only to feel a beating heart within it. A person. It was also then that the wind softly blowing against her hair was noted. She was... being carried. By whom?

Slowly, Alana's orbs began to flutter open. They seemed to be shut for such a long time now. Was she asleep for hours?

"Cheshire," she exhaled, staring up at the man as he moved about. The girl was being held bridal style in his arms as he kept his stride. Around him, were men in black suits. Suits. She was about to scream, but, her memories of what happened began to come back.

"You've finally awoken?" A velvety voice spoke.

Alana murmured,"How long was I asleep?"

"You passed out moments after leaving the throne room, most likely from lack of oxygen. For about an hour, you have been out. Do you remember what happened?"

"Yes... Grandpa." She then said aloud, tilting her head back to watch her young grandfather walk beside her, his stride too, strong and confident as he lead her through the tall, overwhelming buildings of Wonderland.

A laugh escaped Cheshire's lips,"You really got Alice, Jack. I've never seen her so frustrated." It seemed as if the laugh fell into harmony with Jack as he too, released his own chuckle at the thought,"She deserves nothing less than what I just showed her. Defeat."

"You bet. The bitch is goin' down! Destruction!" Cheshire chanted, jumping a bit which made Alana stir uncomfortably.

A small shrug came from Jack,"I don't intend to destroy _her_. Just her influence and power. Once that is gone, we can forbid her into Wonderland for real. Her fault was, that she banished me without destroying my ties to this world. She was stupid, and didn't know that leaving me with the Duchess would only lead to a Wonderland baby..."

Alana's brows furrowed. Baby? Who was his child. And... the Duchess? Who was that?

She then heard Jack speak,"Alana, we are almost at the Caterpillar's hide-away for you. It won't be much longer until you know everything."

A perplex emotion washed over her face,"I have my own hide-away?"

Jack nodded,"Made just for you if you ever made contact with Alice. This is the second place we will hide you, since Cheshire's didn't work out too well... Hatter gave away the location to that to Alice. That is why you were found."

Alana shuddered slightly as she shut her eyes, thinking back to Hatter and how he stared at her in the throne room. A mix of confusion and regret... And then she sighed.

Her eyes blinked open as she watched the buildings go by her, staring at them blankly. It seemed time kept on going onwards. Jack was silent, Cheshire was silent... except for the small purring noises that he would make if Alana moved around in his arms a bit.

And then, she didn't see where she went. A dark tunnel. They were going into a dark tunnel. Oh god. Would she have to crawl and follow Cheshire again for another 10 billion hours? Let's hope not.

The tunnel's entrance disappeared when the last Suit entered, leading down the long tunnel. The end could not be seen. It was high enough for everyone to walk, which also meant Alana could still be carried. She had fidgeted a bit among the way, yelling at Cheshire to put her down. She began to feel uncomfortable... too much of the weakling. Jack told her to relax and to just not put any more strain on her body. So she shut up for another good 5 minutes before the ranting started up again.

After the 5th try from Jack to keep her quiet, he gave up. "Just let her walk then."

Cheshire's jaw dropped,"You are seriously giving into her? Oh come on, Jack. She is just being immature."

"I'll tear your tail out of your ass, Cheshire. Put me down. _Now_." Alana growled, her dark eyes shooting bullets into the electric yellow. A yelp came from Cheshire as he then set her down onto her feet. "No need to get violent..."

Alana trotted ahead, huffing as she did so. She didn't want to be carried. She had been the damsel for way too long in this story. Time to switch it up a bit.

"Jack, grandpa... I want to know stuff."

The man raised an eyebrow, moving forward and smiling,"Like what?"

"Where is the Stone of Wonderland?" Alana demanded, her eyes narrowing. She's apparently had the stone for what seems like ages. It went missing the same time as Jack... She wasn't sure how long the time period was from Jack leaving Wonderland and now... But she had the stone somewhere. Even her grandfather admitted it.

"Well, lets think about it. Do you see it physically on you?" Jack questioned, his hands laying cooly in his pockets.

Alana bit her lip, reaching her hands into her pockets, patting her body down, and shaking her head to deny that the ring was ever on her.

"So then, where else could it be that it moves with you?"

She kept walking, her mind racing. Where could the ring be if it was not on her? It _was _on her, but where? It could be... Wait. Alana froze in her tracks. Her hands fell on her chest, sudden realization hitting her.

Jack smiled and placed his pointer finger on her hands,"Bingo."

* * *

"_Grandpa, grandpa!" The small girl of 4 years shouted, running around her bright pink room. Her small body leaped onto the bed, where a withered old man laid. In his hands, was a copy of Alice in Wonderland. _

_A weak grin came from the man as he chuckled,"Oh come here, Alana. Sit, so I can read to you."_

_Alana giggled a toothy grin, for she was loosing her teeth. She snuggled up against her grandfather, smiling widely as he let his fingers caress the covers of the book lightly before tilting the front cover up as he began to read. Yet, he stopped. Alana was shaking her head innocently, climbing up onto her Grandpa's lap._

"_I wanna hear your stories, Grandpa." the small child murmured. _

_Jack smiled calmly, letting his fingers brush away her brown locks from her smooth child face. "Like what? There are lots of things to be told."_

_Alana sucked on her bottom lip, her eyes wide as she thought of a question to ask,"How do I get to Wonderland?"_

"_Alana, getting into Wonderland is easy. All you need to do is follow your _heart."

* * *

"The stone is... inside of me..." Alana whispered in shock. "No way."

All this time. All of this time Alana had the Stone of Wonderland, the single object, no, power, that could cause a whole war was buried deep within her. _Literally. _Now, if this was a dream, it was really about time to wake up. This was absolute ludicrous.

Jack nodded his head,"Your heart, to be exact. It's not actually in your heart, but, it's power and magical existence is there. If you really wanted to, you could materialize it. It would be the only way for Alice to get it."

Alana bit her lip nervously,"Why me?"

"When you were born, was around the same time I left Wonderland. After the Duchess and I...-"

Alana grabbed Jack's sleeve tightly. Her eyes widened largely, like in her flashback. "Duchess... is grandma. But, wait. Grandma is Duchess, and you are Jack Heart... So, if you two are together. Then which one of my parents is your child?"

Jack then shook his head,"Neither."

"Neither?"

"How much do you trust me right now, Alana?" Jack asked curiously, placing his arm on her back to gently push her along so that they weren't standing in some tunnel and left behind the group.

How much _did_ she trust Jack? He was her Grandfather, but it seemed so unlikely. He was young, filled of life, and nothing of that brittle old man who used to read her stories. But he smelt almost identical. His eyes were the same. His smile was the same. And she could tell it was the same beating heart.

"I trust you a lot right now." Alana said aloud, walking forward once more with Jack by her side.

"Good. Because I'm about to tell you something... the whole logic behind well, everything. It will seem clearer after things are told. Are you ready, Alana?" Jack asked.

Alana simply nodded.

Jack smiled and placed his arm on Alana's shoulder. He gripped it tightly as he said,"First thing is first.... The people whom you know to be your parents are _not_ your parents. They were people who Duchess and I handpicked to care for you. They played along an act of sorts, but fully agreed they wanted another child."

Her lip quivered. "W-what?"

"You were 'adopted', but under a few circumstances. That Duchess and I would keep contact with you throughout your life." Jack said aloud. Alana began to feel her heart thump rapidly. This... was overwhelming... But... there was one more question to ask on this topic.

Alana whispered carefully,"Then... who _are _my parents?"

"Well first off, you should start calling me Dad."

What. The. Hell.

* * *

**I'm sure you are just about ready to kill me. Yes? Well, not yet. I'll explain everything in the next coming chapter on why this shock shouldn't be too shocking...**

**I'm actually scared to post this chapter. The ending might not flow well with people. I hope it does, because, I'm going to make it work. And there _is_ a surprise pairing in this. If you haven't already figured it out then you are blind -__- **

**Read and Review, folks! Much much more to come~**


	21. The Past

**Hey everyone! YOU GUYS DID IT. Over 15 reviews for the last chapter! You know what that means, right?**

**DOUBLE UPDATE! YAYAY! I was so happy to see how this story is going and to know you all have enough time to say you love it. It makes me love it even more. So, forgive me on the lateness of these two chapters. Note. This chapter is a lot of paragraphs and explaining. But it's the good kind :)**

* * *

"Dad.... DAD?" Alana hollered, her mouth dropping wide and her hands crumpled into fists. Slowly, they wrapped around her body as her eyes dropped to the ground. Her feet instantly became glued to the floor beneath her. The suits can walk ahead for all she cared. "How are you my Dad... That makes no sense!!! You are NOT my Dad!"

Jack stared at her with hard look on his face. His expression was clearly expressing that Alana's reaction wasn't prime to what he wanted to achieve in this conversation. He inhaled deeply, replying,"In Wonderland, nothing is ever as it seems... Nothing... Alana, you've been lied to your entire life to try and hid you from this world."

A deep breath surged through Alana as she glanced up. Her eyes were like crystals, wet. She was about to cry. "Why... why would you lie to me?"

"Your protection was always first."

"And what about my own feelings!" Alana shouted, her arms flailing up. This made the crowd ahead of suits and Cheshire stop. "Did it ever occur to you that I have emotions? I can experience them, breathe them, _feel_ them! I am NOT from Wonderland! I can't be."

"You realize what you say is the reason on why I protect you the way I do." Jack said calmly, trying to ease down the girl,"You are from Wonderland, a place that is bare of emotions but of draining them. Yet, you've grown in a world that flourishes in it. You don't need a tea to have a rush of emotions, you just _do_. And it's not because you are the holder of the Stone, but because you are different. Something precious."

_Drip._

A shiver.

"So why do I feel so alone?" The girl whispered, her dark eyes watching Jack carefully as she shook her head before resting it on her shoulder and casting her gaze off into the dark tunnel,"I don't want to stay here anymore..."

Jack peered behind him to see Cheshire sigh, sadly too, looking at the rightful king of Wonderland. The cat paw fell on his shoulder before giving and encouraging smile. Jack tilted his head, watching his daughter sob.

"None of us do. At least, not with Alice ruling." Cheshire said aloud, moving over to Alana. He gave her a small grin as he wrapped his arm tightly around her shoulders. "Come, walk with me and your fa- Jack." She wasn't ready to say Jack was her father. Not yet.

Jack moved to the other side of Alana, gently pushing her along as the 3 began to walk. "Where to even start on this long story..."

"The very beginning." Alana whispered.

Jack nodded and inhaled deeply,"It started out with my mother, the Queen of Hearts, being overrun by a girl named Alice. Now, her mother, my grandmother, was also overrun by a girl named Alice 150 years ago at that point in time. So, my mother, was overrun and I helped. So, I took the throne. Alice, in whom is the current Queen was who I loved.

"Hatter, loved her as well and took her to your world for a good, 10 years. She got bored, and, saw her first "wrinkle". She hated it. She noticed she was getting slightly slower, her body hurt more, and, she saw an imperfection. This imperfection, was what Hatter could not fix. She thought, somehow, that the Stone of Wonderland could fix it. So, she left Hatter and came back to me where I welcomed her with open arms.

"From there, she played me. She stole the ring, hid it away from me, and somehow became attuned to it, that she was able to bend it's power to her will and remove her imperfections, as if that 10 years with Hatter never existed. Duchess, your mother, told me of this. Together, we investigated, for I knew she was loyal to me. I did end up discovering she was saying the truth. And because of her honesty, I fell in love for real.

"Alice, became jealous and then banished us from Wonderland. She, took the title as the Queen and most followed her, because they felt she would be a wonderful ruler for Wonderland. She enacted a rule of immortality, that everyone must remain immortal. Unfortunately, it fell on Duchess and I. Either way, we needed to leave.

"So, we left, but with the stone. Together, we had you. In your world. When you were born, I showed you the Stone to say that it belongs to you one day, and as soon as it touched your skin, it disappeared into a sparkling mist. I grew worried, that the stone as been lost...

"Yet I knew where it was when I gave you to Cheshire as you were an infant. We wanted you to grow up in Wonderland. Alice wasn't aware of you, and, only the Duchess and I were banished. Cheshire watched you for 50 years. 50 years..." Jack whispered softly, smiling a bit as he brushed Alana's cheek. "We wanted to make sure that less people would be around if we ever came back. But we realized, we were older. Wrinkles, gray hair... We were aging outside of Wonderland. And you, you were still a baby. You were not aging."

"Duchess then couldn't stay away from you and demanded for you to be brought to her, and it was done. But, it killed her to know you were so young and she was so old. You'd barley have time with one another as a mother daughter relationship. You'd have no mother. So, that is why we put you up for adoption. We said, your real parents died and us, the grandparents, could not take care of you. We were able to keep relations with you, and set up a small deal with your adoptive family, to never reveal that you were adopted. They let us visit, and we even became like actual grandparents to the family..."

Alana's eyes widened... It all seemed, so right... All the small side conversations Grandpa and Grandma would have. The way her family worked. All of it. Jack wasn't lying.

"And so, Duchess then died. Not truly, of course. She was put under a medicine almost like what Juliet had in Shakespeare's play. She was then put in her grave with a small looking glass and a very expensive false stone, just like what Alice is using now. When she was buried, she woke up and passed through, only to find that she kept her old body... But, it began to crack off into her old, young self. However, with help, she kept it on. She wanted to wait for you to come to Wonderland, Alana."

Alana gasped, her mind flickering back to something...

_Alana's Grandmother's face was that of Hatter's shock. "This is bad." She whispered, her heart thumping. The girl's eyes narrowed. What was bad? The small girl moved forward, shaking her head,"I don't know why you would think he would do something."_

_The grandmother's face was nothing but of pure perplexity. Alana shook her head slowly, her hands forming into fists,"You don't understand, Hatter is not a bad person!"_

_"Alana, you don't know-"_

_"What don't I know?" Alana fired back, her body language was that of a tiger. "I know enough to think that you judge people too easily."_

_"And you too lightly..." Grandma whispered, her crystal eyes reflecting shame,"You should know better then to wander the house."_

_"You should know better than to hid secrets from your Granddaughter." Alana yelled, her teenage hormones for fighting, kicking in. "You know, grandma's are suppose to be kind, caring, and understanding because they are wise. But you! You are more like a _mother _than a grandmother! You question me and disbelieve everything I try to say and do!"_

_The grandmother's face seemed to morph into sympathy. She sighed a bit, shaking her head,"You are in a far far different world than you know, Alana."_

The girl glanced up to Jack, nodding her head as she took it in. "I on the other hand, instantly tore off my old age and went about, setting up plots and such to bring down Alice. Then, I was notified that you were in Wonderland. And, to make it worse, fell into the hands on Hatter. I spied on you in the tea shop for some time, watching to make sure nothing went wrong. And then, I saw Alice enter and that is when I went after Cheshire and told him to get you. Does it all make sense now?"

"That was you! The man in the shop that would always stare at me?" Alana asked, perplexed.

"Yes."

"I-it's all seems like it makes sense now. Everything kinda just, falls into place." Alana said aloud her hands now by her side as the end of the tunnel was beginning to open. Light. They were almost out.

"One question..." She asked, trying to get one more in.

"Yes?"

"Why do I look like Alice?"

"You look _similar_ to her because of Alice's attachment to the ring." Jack simply stated,"But clearly, you are nothing alike. I rather think you look very different from Alice. I find the way she looks very... strange. Her eyes are light, normally associated with things like purity. But they are not. Yours, are dark and mysterious, yet you lay your emotions right out for the world to see. I find it funny."

Alana smiled to herself before suddenly, the dark tunnel ended.

"Well, Alana, bite your tongue. You are going to now learn the real ways of being evil." Jack said aloud, laughing.

"Why evil? What do I need to do?" Alana asked, wondering why her dad was saying this. Cheshire chuckled and chimed in,"In order to beat evil, you need to see it and became just as bad."

The teen scratched her head, her eyes narrowing,"How in the world am I going to become evil?" Her hands creating air quotes around "evil," as she spoke.

Jack laughed,"Well, you're going to learn from Grandma. Your real one."

Alana's eyes widened. "The Queen of Hearts."

* * *

**Yay for double update? I'm sure all of you are like,"WHERE IS HATTER!" But, don't worry. Just don't worry. Now, you must review to BOTH chapters of this double update to make me happy :) Please read and review!**


	22. The Road Home

**Part two of the double update! Now, this one is a bit shorter, because the last one was so long and filled. But, the main point of this one is to kinda bring fourth some emotion. So, I hope it's alright... I just wanna update :P Please review to this chapter and the last one for those double-updaters!**

**

* * *

**

It was as she spoke,"The Queen of Hearts," that the world around her opened and became visible.

All around her were gates, large gates that seemed to reach the sky. On these gates, were dark green vines, wrapping around and entrapping the metal as it grew. On these vines, were sharp thorns. Also, buds were everywhere. All up and down the gate were buds. "Your Grandmother is in love with roses. Compliment them." Jack quickly mentioned.

A small nod motioned through Alana's head as the suits began to lead the way.

The ground was a stone path, that Alana's black shoes clinked against as she slowly moved down the pathway. The gates went on an on, like a maze of sorts. There was a soft fog in the air, constantly surrounded the pathway ahead. She felt an assuring hand grip her shoulders. Alana glanced up, Cheshire. Always Cheshire. Why not... H-

The girl smiled before looking away. Yet, a hiss in her ear from the cat, like man said,"She isn't that scary."

Alana shook her head,"Not from what I hear..."

"She's mellowed down a lot since her rule, trust me." Cheshire laughed, his raven hair framing his face. His small ears twitched a bit as he purred, yellow eyes unwavering from Alana's. But, she broke the contact almost instantly, staring off into the scenery around her. "I hope." Cheshire watched her carefully before slowly bringing his arm off her.

Jack then suddenly intruded,"We are here."

At that moment, the vines around the gates seemed to unwind themselves. They slowly seeped backwards, letting the gate now move freely, opening backwards to reveal fog. The fog slowly drifted away to reveal something that cause Alana's eyes to widen.

A giant mansion.

It was deep maroon in color, where all the doors, windows and trims of the house were a pale pink. Up and down the sides of the house was moss, and the front, had rows of red roses that were fully bloomed. "Welcome home." Jack whispered, almost nervous to advance. Alana shivered, peering up to her dad,"Might as well get it over with."

He sighed deeply, placing his hand on her back and leading the way to the front door. The suits, lined up around the house, all standing guard as if is there planned. Cheshire, morphed into a cat, and took watch on the roof, after changing to become invisible. Alana bit her lip, taking one last breath before placing her hand on the doorknob.

"OUCH!"

Alana jumped, her eyes widening as she stared at the knob. It had eyes, a knob for a nose... and a mouth.

Jack seemed to fume at this,"Just let us in."

"Well aren't you bossy, Mr. Heart!" The knob fired back, his mouth opening and closing rather harshly. Alana's jaw dropped,"The doorknob talked." Jack looked at her dumbfounded,"You really need to stop doing that... Everything here in Wonderland is different. Wouldn't you know that by now?"

Alana gave a small laugh, nervously, and let Jack talk to the doorknob.

It was strange. It was as if the world suddenly went silent... Only Alana and her mind...

* * *

I don't know why I feel this way.

Really.

I'm going inside to overrun Alice. Basically, I'm trying to destroy her. But, is destroying truly the right thing? In a way... I am connected to Alice. She is attuned with the stone of wonderland, I-I guess, am the stone of wonderland.

So, would it make sense to betray her? Hell. Yes.

Just one problem. The one person she has under her control. Hatter. God, I want to slap him and then hug him. As much as I haven't been talking about him, I've sure as hell been thinking about him.

When Cheshire touched my shoulder, I felt something familiar. How Hatter would sometimes touch me. I almost imagined Hatter there, standing right next to me, but then, it faded to Cheshire. When that happened I became... sad.

I couldn't look at him. Why? Hatter, betrayed me. He stabbed me in the back. He gave away my location. He let Alice almost _kill_ me as he stood there watching.

But for some reason. Some strange reason, I don't want to fight him. I don't want to fight anyone. I was to be alone in this world where there was no fighting. Why does there need to be? A war, death, pain? Why is that even needed in a world where anything is possible? If anything is possible, then peace should be able to achieved.

Why is war essential to this equation?

Why is Hatter essential to this equation?

"Fine, I'll open," A voice I hear. Time to leave my thoughts? I'm not ready yet. Please don't make me go. "Good."

_Click_.

"Alana...." Stop. "Alana?" Please stop. "Alana are you there?"

* * *

"Alana, are you there?" Jack asked confused. Alana had been staring off into the gates and vines for the entire petty argument between the knob and Jack. Now, the door stood open into the dark room where the faint smell of cigarettes and musky order lied.

The girl stood in the doorway as the air rushed out, eerily, as Jack entered. He soon disappeared into the blackness. Alana gulped, looking at it for a good moment before her hands created a fist. It was time to go meet Grandma.

And Alana took a step into the darkness, the door slamming behind her.

* * *

**Da da dun.... :) Read and review! (to this and last chapter :) )**


	23. Moth or Bird?

**First off, I'M SORRY. My life is actually pretty hectic right now. In the month long absence, I've have tests, studying, and sickness for two whole weeks. As soon as I came home from school, instead of writing, I would sleep from exhaustion. I actually couldn't function. But, somehow, today, after I finished all my homework in study hall, I whipped out my blackberry and just starting typing out this chapter. And I kept going. And then instead of a 2 hour nap, I took a half hour and kept writing.**

**So, now you have your chappie3**

**

* * *

**

The heart couldn't race any faster. Breathing became a soft flowing movement of air, slowly being exhaled from Alana's chilled lips. Dark eyes led the way into the blackness.

Instantly, as soon as her foot stepped inside, a rusty old scent came to greet her nose, resulting in a crinkle. Jack's hand fell carefully on her back, pushing her along.

The area around her was a single hallway. The walls were a dark teal, due to how dim the path way. On these walls, were old frames, few crumbled and a few, crashed against the floor. The lights above were at every few paces, softly glowing to create a black illusion. This is how the Queen of Hearts would like it. Finally, along the sides of the long hallway where chipped wood sidetables. These tables were well beyond there years. Glass vases, some cracked, were placed on every single table. In these, were rotton, de-flowered red roses. Their brown crusted petals had fall around the vase, blackening everyday. The shriveled dead stem was weakly leaning across the edge of the vase.

"This place is really out of shape..." Alana whispered, observing.

"This is after the first renovation," Jack explained,"when she first moved here, due to Alice removing her from her throne, she came to her vacation house where she completely wrecked the place, causing damage, attempting to do crazy things... I almost considered her a pyromaniac for a while, but since, she's got her head back."

Hah. Irony.

"That's... Intense..." Alana replied, tilting her head backwards to stare at the light above. She saw a moth desperately attacking it. It would fall down, shake it's wings, and fly right back up to have it's body burned and tousled to the floor. Yet, it would keep going. No matter how it was stopped, it would keep going.

Jack watched it too, frowning,"It'll forever be trapped here. It'll have this place as a death bed, shame."

Alana bit her lip, so tempted to pick it up and bring it outside. But she couldn't for a hand was once more placed on her back. Jack. No. Dad.

The girl gave a meek smile, turning away from the moth and continued down the path. Her feet were steady, her heart still everso pounding. Alana wasn't sure if she was ready to meet 'Grandma'. However, the strong smell of cigars filled the air.

Suddenly, an opening on the right side of the wall appeared, where smoke was drifting from.

"Jack! Jack!!! Is that you? Jack come in here this instant!" A harsh, powerful voice bellowed from the depths of the room. Alana did not want to go in.

"Breathe." He cooed, stepping in front of Alana and into the room. Words could hear being exchanged. Not good ones. It consisted of:

"Jack! I want more of these cigars. Get me more!"

"Mother, I'm afraid I can't. Going to the other world right now is not an option, seeing Wonderland's current predicament. Next time; however, I will buy you more cigars."

"Fine fine. Where is the brat in whom I'm suppose to advise?"

Gulp.

Her feet moved, slowly, cautiously... Alana's breathing was struck as she turned the corner to meet face to face with grandma. Her _real_ grandma.

The room was dark. The walls a light gray. Papers circled the floor's edges. Around the room were old bird cages, mingled, destroyed. Black feathers covered the floors, yet, there were no birds. Not a single one. Around the room was these feathers. all leading up to a single window in the back of the room that had a large deep green couch made out of fabric. An intricate washed out rug laid underneath a hardwood table that was in front of this couch. And then, on the couch, was her.

The Queen of Hearts sat there with glasses on her face, a velvet covered book in her hand, and a look of disgust on her face. Yet, something told Alana it was there before she came in. The woman was wearing a black gown, covering her. Black feathers laid over the couch, and then, were ruffled as the book fell on it.

"Come to me, my grandchild." Her voice said loudly, harshly.

Alana bit her lip, walking forward and stopped a few feet away from the woman. "Turn." The Queen instructed, and Alana glanced back to Jack. He nodded, telling her to turn. Alana spun around slowly.

The Queen of Heart's eyes narrowed, the cigar in her mouth as it slowly burned to an end. The smoke escaped her lips, as the woman then moved to her feet. She meandered over to Alana, a powerful stride. This woman caused suffering for so many. She was terrifying.

"Yes. You are weak. I can mold you, teach you, show you how to think like you want to destroy. That is the only mindset you can have when destroying Alice. When she de-throned me, she claims she used truth and reason. That's all lies. My kingdom was functioning properly, yet, traitors," she send a glare to Jack,"Had unfortunately overtook me. I accept my defeat as the Queen, but I will not accept Alice to overthrow two rulers in the same line of blood."

The Queen the let her wrinkled hand touch Alana's bare arm,"And, I will not have her kill the third. Alice's power needs to stop here."

Alana nodded her head,"Right."

"You need to think unlike yourself. Think of Alice's weakness. What is her weakness?"

"... I think it's her past. She frozen when she saw Jack. She actually freaked out."

A large grin smeared across the aged face. "Perfect."

Jack shut his eyes tightly, his hands tightening in grip. Alana, was shaking slightly. Her eyes widened as she watched the mastermind at work. "To bring the past, we must become it. You, you will dress up as Alice. Your looks are similar to her."

Alana shook her head, stepping backwards slightly,"I would never want to look or be like Alice in any way. It's hard enough that we are similar in appearance, but I could never pull it off."

Her dad advanced,"I know Alice well... If you are up to it, I can help you." The girl sent a weary look to Jack, bitting her lip. With a large inhale she whispered,"Fine... but I can't go in as Alice alone. Jack, you'll have to co-"

"OH NO!" The Queen shouted, angered. "Jack would instantly be recognized. You need someone else. How about that fiance of yours? He can walk in invisible with you and protect you if anyone notices that you aren't really Alice."

Alana's eyes narrowed and scratched her head,"Fiance? I don't have a fiance."

The Queen let out a large chuckle,"Oh Jack, you haven't told her!"

Jack shook his head, his hands coming up to stop her from talking "Mother-"

The Queen waved him off,"Oh nonsense. Girl, you're father has had you booked since the day you were born. Cheshire, the one guarding the place, is your future husband. Isn't that right, Jack?" The Queen was hysterically laughing. Her voice, loud, cackling. It was ringing into Alana's ears. Her dark eyes stared forward into one of the bird cages against the wall. Trapped like a bird. They were all trapped. Alana, was trapped in this world.

"Mother, I wasn't ready to tell her." Jack explained to her. The Queen kept laughing,"Oh look at her! She's too weak, Jack!"

Alana felt stuck... Cheshire... is her fiance? Since she was _born_. Trapped.

The loud laughter of the Queen of Hearts echoed in Alana's ears. It was like a bomb, exploding. And suddenly, the laughter stopped as Alana whispered,"I thought you told me everything... The last thing I would want is to hear news like that from... _her."_

The Queen stood there with eyes open,"Why you ignorant brat!" She wouldn't be trapped like a bird.

But Alana was already out of the room. She was out the hallway, and suddenly, once more, running away from everything.

Alana wouldn't be a moth. She wouldn't find something she loved, and keep going until she achieved it. Yes, she had the ambition to achieve, but the flames always die out. She, would die out.

Soon.

* * *

**What do you think? Was it worth the wait? Please read and review! They keep me going!**


	24. Temporary Update

Update time!

Hello everyone!

So, I'm happy to announce I'm coming back! But, before I complete the story, I AM FIXING IT! The story line will NOT change, but, you will find details added, development added... Hopefully, you will see a great change in what was and what wasn't. I advise you to reread the story, because you will hopefully get a better sense of it. It will seem like a new story with how much I am adding to it.

I think my writing has greatly improved, so, that's a plus. I'm going off to college, so, I think 14 year old me would be proud to have this story looked at again.

Thank you so much for sticking with me! I hope you enjoy the revisions!

~ Magically


End file.
